A Bond between Worlds: Yu Yu Hakusho
by oXemmachanXo
Summary: Mayumi was so excited to learn about her past and her family, but before she could find out, a huge demon-dude tried to kill her in an alley. After being saved by a mysterious figure named Hiei, she's found herself caught between a war of the worlds that has something to do with her father and a weird prophecy. Will she be able to overcome her worst fears and save them all?
1. Chapter 1: A long day

_Kill. Me. Now_ , I think dully as I shudder in the freezing classroom. Even though it's only been about 20 minutes, it feels like I've been at school for an eternity. Math is always boring for me, even though it's my best subject. However, today it seems to be passing even slower than usual. Figures, when something is going on after school.

As everyone else is hunched over their desks taking notes and figuring out equations, I'm staring out the window blankly. The sun is shining annoyingly brightly, but none of its warm rays can penetrate the confinements of this prison. In my head, I beg the school bell to ring so I can leave this blasted place. As expected, it doesn't. It's not due to for another God knows how long.

Sighing, I settle in for a long day.

The rest of the day passed even slower than math class, if possible. During lunch, I only picked at my food, my knotted stomach unable to handle anything. Some kids were a little concerned for me, but they left be alone after I glared at them, snapping I was fine. I mean, I felt a little bad, but they could never understand.

It is last period now, and I am literally on the edge of my seat. I hear my heart beat along with the clock on the wall, ticking away my time to freedom. I feel years, centuries pass as I half stand-sit on my chair with anticipation filling kids around me must think I'm crazy, but at this point, I don't care.

The bell (at last) rings, and before it's even stopped, I'm out of the classroom. I'm the first one in the halls, so I get to my locker easily. Practically throwing my books in, I grab my bag and dash down the hall. My heart takes a great leap as I see the front doors wide open, a light breeze drifting through. It will take me ten minutes to get home at a sprint. So in ten minutes, I will finally learn the truth about me and my family. About why Mrs. Zhao, the crazy old hag, is my legal guardian. About my parents and inheritance. Excitement fills my whole body.

I'm just about to pass the front doors when a dark shadow crosses in front of them, blocking out the sun. I look up to see the principal, , staring down at me. It takes my entire being not to curse him for standing in the way.

"Why hello there, Mayumi. And why are you in such a rush?"

"No reason, ," biting back my pure fury at his nosiness. "Just want to get home."

"I hope it's not for another fight," he eyes me sternly. Behind me I can hear the whole mass of kids storming for the front door, happy for the weekend.

"Of course not, sir, I would just like to leave." I mumble quickly.

"I remember the last time you got in a fight, you came in a black eye, and she came in three weeks later with a fractured nose and broken arm… You don't want to get suspended again, now, do you? " he continued on as if I hadn't said anything. (She totally deserved it, anyways.)

" , I have to get home," I say desperately as wave after wave of teenagers ran past me. They zoom by me and this idiot like a river around a rock, some of them stopping to say goodbye. I wish one of them would pick me up and carry me away at this point.

Through all the commotion, he is still talking. "…anyways, tell Mrs. Zhao I said hello, wont you? I must go; I have some errands to run! Have a nice weekend."

And just like that, he's gone. I'm one of the last ones in the yard by now, only 5 or 6 stragglers. I had rushed out of class for literally nothing.

I take in the cool afternoon air, and start to fast-walk down the stone path, barely holding in my apprehension. But there is something else _there_ too. Something else at the back of my mind that I can't help but notice, that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

For some reason, my gaze goes to the one tree in the front of the school. But before I can focus on it fully, there's a flash of black, and the feeling is gone. Shrugging, I go to the huge gate in the front yard. Without a look back, I glide across the street and down an alley.

Nameless streets and buildings pass by as I sprint, following an invisible path that has become second nature to me. Considering I'm one of the fastest runners in the city, I get halfway home pretty quickly. Judging by the sun, it's only about mid-afternoon.

Practically staring at the sky, I run full force into what feels like a brick wall, sending me flying backwards to the ground. Head spinning, I gasp. Whatever it is knocked the wind out of me and, from the pounding in my head, I might even have a concussion. I looked up at the big human figure (who appears to be unscathed), glaring. The word "hey!" gets stuck in my throat, coming out as more of a choking sound. The guy standing before me could easily be 7 feet tall with the ability to crush a train. Layer upon layer of pure muscle bulges from his head to foot, almost ripping his clothes. His vein-y flesh in deeply tan and his stiff hair is a dark brown. His eyes stand out, being a bright hazel-orange mix, which is a _bit_ odd. Nevertheless, his piercing stare makes me want to melt into the ground.

A chill runs up my spine, but fear is soon replaced by anger. Who does this guy think he is, walking around like a big-shot? I stand up, clutching my school bag in a death grip.

"Hey, you should watch where you're going, kid," his voice is so deep, it feels like it's rumbling through my very soul. I flinch as the throbbing in my head becomes worse, but I stand my ground, courage filling me.

"I think _you_ should watch where _you're_ going! You couldn't see me coming?!" I practically scream. I don't know why, but this dude makes my blood boil.

Quicker than I thought was physically possible, my body is slammed against the nearest building. His stupid face is inches from mine with his massive hand around my throat. I feel my heart pound in my chest faster than ever before. I gasp, but no air can make it past my blocked windpipe. Maybe what I said wasn't the best choice of words.

I see his free hand slide past his leather jacket to reveal a really menacing looking dagger. My mind and heart are racing at an impossibly-high speed. _What I said wasn't bad enough to get me chopped in half, right?_ I struggle against his strength, trying to free myself. _Why won't my arms move? It's not like I haven't gotten in any fights before! C'mon, WORK. What's so different now?!_ Finally, my arms and legs become unfrozen, and I begin kicking and punching and clawing at him like I'd just drank an energy drink. Still, my attempts seem useless.

It reminds me of school today, how each second seems to last an eternity. I see each moment as if in slow motion. How Mr. Muscle (that's what I have decided to name him) pulls his blade back. How he smiles evilly up at me, as if he knows me, as if he's been waiting for this very moment forever. How my last attempts at escape falter as fear fills me. How a figure appears behind Mr. Muscle, saying "let the girl go".

Mr. Muscle turns around sharply, his grip non-wavering. From lack of oxygen, I think, my vision starts to go fuzzy, and I can see stars. I can't make out the figure, but it certainly surprises Mr. Muscle.

He laughs after a bit, staring down at the small person. "Well, well, well, I had no idea the fire apparition would come to the rescue." I can barely hear him from the sound of me choking and the ringing in my ears.

Whoever it was didn't respond. Instead, I see the figure step towards us calmly. My sight is starting to go black, but I force myself to stay conscious. The figure says something that I can't even make out, probably because my ears are ringing like crazy.

Whatever they said, I could marry them because I feel Mr. Muscles grip release, and I crumple to the ground. Taking great heaving breaths, I fall back and stare at the sky until my lungs don't burn (as much) and I can see clearly. I close my eyes and, for a second, it feels like it was all just a dream. But my eyes snap open at the sounds of s struggle and an intense pain in my whole upper body. I blink tears out of my eyes and sit up slowly.

Nope. Not a dream. Two figures seem to be having a show down, one of them being Mr. Muscle, the other being the new dude.

"Run, human!" I hear a muffled voice. Good idea. But something roots me to the spot.

"Are you going to be alright?" I call to my savior, who is hidden behind Mr. Muscle.

"Yes, just GO, you fool!"

Heeding his advice, I stumble up and sprint faster than I should have in my delirious state. On my way, I was so deep in thought, I got lost a million times. After God knows how long, I finally arrive on my front steps, relief washing through me. Gulping all the air I physically can, I open, shut, and lock the door.

I spin around and lean on the wall. Slowly sliding down, I feel waves of nausea and confusion engulf me.

"Mayumi!" I hear a call from the hallway. "Is that you? You're very late, young lady!"

I look at the wall clock. Is it really 6:30?! I guess my adrenaline-pumped brain lost track of time. I decide to save the crazy story for later, quickly thinking of an alibi. All I need is something to deteriorate them from telling me about everything.

I begin to answer as I walk in the living room, but stop short. Mrs. Zhao told me before (very resentfully, might I add) that a social worker was coming to discuss "legal terms". But I didn't expect her to look like this.


	2. Chapter 2: Botan and others

Her bright smile is almost frightening, with her purple eyes and sky blue hair. She's rather tall, and wears a plain black robe. Her face seems young for a social worker, but pretty. She's a bit less… sophisticated? than I thought. Oh well.

"Hello! Mrs. Zhao says you like to be called Sun? Well Sun, I'm Botan." She smiles, bowing. I return the gesture.

"Um, hi," I say awkwardly. "I apologize for my tardiness. I just got held up."

"Oh, it's fine!" Botan waves it off. "We were just talking about our grades, interests, things like that."

"Okay…" I say shifting nervously. "So…"

"Mayumi, what happened? You're a mess!" Mrs. Zhao's piercing voice makes my head start to pound again.

"Nothing, I just-I fell." I stutter. Nailed it. "I'm fine, really."

"You fell?"

"That's what I said," I feel my cheeks burn. "Why, what's wrong?"

"Just go clean yourself up. I'll make some tea."

At the moment, I'm not really in the mood for arguing. So, I pick myself up and head for the bathroom. I close the door behind me and turn to the mirror. I am kind-of a mess

I'm very short for my age, only being 4'11 at 16 years. My friends always make fun of my height, but it's nothing I can change. Mrs. Zhao told me once that my mom was really short, too. My dirty blonde, wavy hair reaches my elbows, so I stand out a bit in the middle of Japan. Light freckles scattered around my nose and cheeks can barely be seen against my super-pale skin. My big eyes are a light, oceanic blue and get darker towards the pupil. Examining myself, I see what Mrs. Zhao was talking about. My face has spots of dirt all over, and my hair is a tangled mess. My neck is swollen and I can already see the bruises forming. I wince as I run my fingers up and down the marks.

I quickly comb out my hair and wash my face, only to find there are no towels. Quietly opening the door, I step in the hallway to grab one from the hamper. A heated conversation stops me in my tracks.

"… not ready to know, she's still young! Sun wouldn't be able to handle it. She has no idea about her father or Spirit World or anything! It would be too much to take in," that's Mrs. Zhao's voice in a frantic whisper.

"I don't know. The Deadline is coming up, and Koenma really wants to get her ready for it. We've had eyes on her for a while now, and demons are starting to realize who she is. They're trying to kill her," Botan sounded desperate.

Spirit world? Deadline? My father? My mind is working a million miles a minute. Either these people are crazy or there's something else going on. Some elaborate scheme that involves Mrs. Zhao, this Botan chick, my parents, and me. Some information that's being held from me. Instantly, anger fills me, but I stay back to hear more.

"Botan, think about what's best for her at this point. And what's best might be to keep Sun in the dark a while longer."

"As you may know, Yusuke Urameshi was only 13 when Koenma recruited him as a Spirit Detective, and she's 16 now. I think she's quite old enough. Its puts her in danger to not know anything, let alone not being able to defend herself. And the people around her can be affected, too! Her role in the events about to take place is very important. Koenma wants to start her training with Genkai immediately. Plus, the gang is getting sick of having to watch over her all the time.

"You have to think about it logically. Based off of the prophecy, and her father, she's our only hope. If either you or she decides against this, we may have to take more desperate measures to ensure the safety of the three worlds."

"Well, I just don't think its right! I have raised her from when she was a little girl. So I have the right above anyone else to say if she's-"

"If I'm what?!" I scream, practically jumping into the living room. I couldn't take any more of it. They both just gasp, staring at me wide-eyed. Too shocked to respond. I wipe my still-wet face on my sleeve and glare at them both.

"Please, don't hesitate, keep talking. Because I hate being left in the dark, and if you've been trying so hard to keep this from me for my entire life, it must be important. And while you're at it, mind telling me, what the hell is Spirit World? And who're all those random people that apparently know my life better than me? God, of course you're the one who wants to not tell me anything. I've had no one my entire life, and when I get the chance to learn about who my family is, you take it away from me. What's wrong with you?"

We sit for a moment in complete silence. Botan is the first to recover. "Sun, calm down, it's more complicated than you-"

"No! Who are _you_ to tell me to calm down?! I have waited all day, all my _life_ for you to tell me who I am. I've barely paid attention at school, got all excited what, to be told a bunch of lies? I have felt like I was being watched all week, then I got attacked by this huge guy in an alley who had this dagger-thing, then this other ninja dude rescued me, and I ran all the way home to be told lies from this stupid bi-"

"What?" they yelp simultaneously.

"Oh, I'm fine thanks for asking," I say bitterly. "I only barely escaped with my life because of the guy that saved me. What did Mr. Muscle call him? A fire apparition, I think?"

I look between the two with my arms crossed resentfully. They give each other a face that says, "Oh, no."

Out of nowhere, Boton shoots up and mumbles, "Okay then, I think it's time for me to be going, um, I'll get back to you later Mrs. Zhao. You both have a nice night." And then, she's gone.

I groan in frustration and confusion, fleeing to the front door. I don't know where I'm going, but I just have to get away from here. Before I can put my shoes on, Mrs. Zhao is in front of the door, blocking it with her arms outstretched. "You aren't going anywhere, young lady."

I yell out in pure rage, throw my shoes right at her, and run to the stairs. Without a glance back, I stomp up them, and sprint to my room, slamming the door behind me so hard the whole house shakes. I look down at my hands to find them trembling uncontrollably. A second later, I collapse to the ground, feeling the inevitable tears about to flow over. Except it's not sadness pulling at my gut. I lurch forward, gagging. Quick as I can, I stumble up and run to the other side of my room. Past the sliding doors, the cool air greets me on my balcony.

I let out all of the stress and confusion and anger from today out as I lean over the railing. I vomit up everything that's in my system, and then eventually bile, until I'm empty. I feel a little bad for my neighbors who have to wake up to that.

The emptiness is soon filled with question after question about today's events. Head pounding, I slump to the floor.

I sit until the sky is scattered with millions of beautiful stars, trying to clear my mind. Not even my amazement with the constellations can distract me from… everything. It's crazy how the day escalated so quickly. This is the worst I have felt in a very long time. Well, maybe even the worst ever.

So, I sit with my arms clutching my legs, letting a few salty tears pass. Eventually, I find myself sulking off towards my bed, blurry-eyed. When I find it, I lie on top of the covers in a little ball staring straight ahead. Honestly, I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to feel or think or do at this point. I don't remember falling asleep, but I guess I do.

A cold, dreamless night passes quickly. At first, it feels like I've only been sleeping for a few minutes considering it's still dark outside. But my alarm clock reads 5:13AM.

All is well for a few seconds. It's Saturday, so I can go over my friends' Tao or Akira house, or watch a movie. Mrs. Zhao usually makes pancakes-

The memories of yesterday hit me like a rock, giving me a major migraine. I just lay there for a good bit, not doing anything. I know it's useless to try and go back to sleep with my mind turning so fast.

I don't realize how long I stay there until rays of sunlight flood my bedroom. _Hm…_ I think. _I believe the arcade opens at 8am on Saturdays._

Smiling weakly at the idea, I get out of bed to get ready. I go to the bathroom to take a quick warm shower, and throw on some clothes. I hesitate in telling Mrs. Zhao where I'm going. In the end, I plainly scribble a note saying: Gone to arcade. Don't know when I'll be back. ~Sun.

I placed it on my pillow in case she came looking for me. Lastly, I grab some chore money from the box under my bed. Tip-toeing through the door and down the steps, I grab my sweat shirt from the coat rack, and slip on my tennis shoes. I lock the door quietly behind me. I know I probably shouldn't leave the house, especially this early, considering I'm most likely in huge trouble from yesterday, and I almost, ya' know, died. But whatever.

I shove my cold hands in my pockets as I trek across the empty street, wallet bulging. The arcade is just down the street from my house, and there's a small coffee shop right next to it. Figuring I literally have all day, I head over to that first with my stomach growling.

After getting my latte and two doughnuts, the sun has raised a great deal. It's peaking over the tall buildings in the distance city and surrounding mountains. I watch from the coffee shop's window, amazed, as I stuff my face.

The worker didn't even look up as I entered the arcade. There were a few other people drooling over the blinking screens or getting a drink at the snack bar already. I put some money in the change machine to get some coins. Soon enough, I'm just another mindless zombie with no worries.

It's close to dinner time now, and I can hear them talking. I had blown about 30 bucks and was completely zoned out when a familiar voice causes me to jolt up, heart racing. Botan.

Curiosity grips me. Why is a social worker hanging out at an arcade talking in such a frantic whisper? I focus on her voice on the other side of my machine, just a few feet away.

"… an increase in demon sightings throughout the entire city. It's becoming unsafe for the humans," says Botan.

"Do you know what they're here for?" a different male voice asks in a stupid tone.

"Well, Koenma has a hunch. They've been targeting girls around your age," Botan sounds hesitant.

"Like that puny girl Hiei saved yesterday. He was telling us a little bit about it," says another more obnoxious sounding by.

"Yes, but that was actually the girl that Koenma thinks is attracting the demons to the girls in this area in the first place. And apparently, she was the one who provoked _him."_

"How can a little human girl provoke a big scary demon?" the same boy inquires, somewhat sarcastically.

"First of all, she's not just a 'little human girl'. Second, Hiei said she wasn't paying attention and ran into him. Then, she screamed at him to watch where he was going."

My mouth goes dry.

"Well, no wonder Hiei gave a shit, she seems like a badass. Maybe that's why the demons want to kill her, too."

"Yusuke, that's the girl you're all supposed to be specifically protecting! I'm talking about Mayumi Hikari!"

"Oh, so that's the one you went to talk to last night!" I heard a loud _thwack_ , and then an "ow!"

"Yes, it was! She had a very quick temper though, and Mrs. Zhao was completely against it. I didn't even end up explaining anything to her."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Why are we even supposed to be watching her at all?" the first boy asks.

"You two should really start to pay attention to when we talk to you! Koenma said that her family, on her father's side at least, goes back a long time in the history of Reikai, and Makia. He's a very powerful S-class demon, and is the descendant of a long line of them. Takahiro Hikari-I'm surprised you didn't hear of him, Yusuke- is more of a neutral guy, minds his own business. Anyways, there was a prophecy made about the family, something about the last heir and saving the world and The Deadline and all that. It's supposed to happen less than two years from now, and he hasn't been seen lately…"

"And she's the last heir," says the guy, Yusuke, I think. There's a few moments silence. "Well, if she's the heir and her dad is a freakin' S-class demon, then shouldn't she be somewhat powerful?"

"That's the thing: she doesn't know anything about her past or Spirit World, so she has no idea of what she's capable of. And neither do we."

"Guess it's time we find out. C'mon lets go find Hiei and Kurama. Then we can swing by Mayumi's place and explain things…" says Yusuke mysteriously.

I hear their footsteps start to retreat, and Botan snaps one last thing, "Next time, we are not coming to an arcade for a meeting place." And just like that, they're gone. I sit in utter silence and disbelief for the next few minutes, thinking. When I was done, I get up and run out the door, heart thumping.


	3. Chapter 3: They Chase, I Run

I have absolutely no idea how long it could take them to find their friends Kurama and Hiei (who happens to be the one who saved me yesterday). But I don't want to take any chances.

As I exit the arcade, I casually look both ways. Botan and the two boys are nowhere in sight, so I scoot across the street quickly. The sun is already low in the sky. I can't believe I was at that place for so long. No wonder my stomach is gargling.

It doesn't take me long to walk home in this anxious state, and I slip quietly into the back yard. I look up at my balcony about 25 feet above my head. My vomit from last night was washed away, maybe from the rain. (Did it rain at all? Anyways.) A thick grapevine wove its way from Mrs. Zhao's garden up to the roof. Gulping, I immediately begin to climb, trying to ignore all of the sharp sticks poking me and my fear of heights clenching my gut. I'm all scratched and sweaty when I arrive at the top. I stealthily open the sliding door and creep into my room. The note is still there from this morning. Figures, she didn't check on me. Not saying I'm complaining.

I empty my school bag of my text books and start stuffing it with clothes, a toothbrush, a hat, soap, money, books, anything I can get my hands on. I have to get away. This is all too crazy and from what those people were talking about, it is dangerous, too. I'm not the kind of person for saving the world. And I'm certainly not half demon! Even if it's not real, they all seemed convinced and desperate enough to do anything to get to me. And Mrs. Zhào seems to be in on it, too! I just have to leave. That's my best option. I could stay at my friend, Akira's house over the weekend. She wouldn't mind. But I don't really have anywhere else to go, I don't know anyone... And it might not even be a good idea to get my friend involved with all this.

I take a step back to see what my room looks like. I start to clean up the stuff I rummaged through, and then I shuffle my covers around to make it look like I just got up. I go over to the bathroom and close to door, to stall them for a bit longer. I honestly don't know what else to do. I shove the note from this morning in my pocket.

A distant knock at the front door makes me jump. Oh no. It _hadn't_ taken them long to find their friends. I go out onto the balcony with my bag slung over my shoulder. I can hear talking on the floor below. It would be best to wait, just in case they decide to leave. That would be an awkward encounter on the sidewalk. With one leg over the railing, I sit and listen.

Heavy pairs of footsteps bound up the steps and towards my door. With a leap of my heart, I lower myself down swiftly. When I'm about seven feet from the ground, the bedroom door is slammed open above me. In surprise, my foot shifts and down I go, falling the rest of the way. With an _oof_! I land on my butt.

I don't stop to see if they heard. I begin running faster than I ever have down the back alley. When I'm a comfortable distance from my house, I hide behind a building and look back. There are a few people on my balcony looking around. Do they already know that I'm running away? The group talks to each other for a second, but I can't make out what they're saying. The shortest one jumps down all 25 feet and lands perfectly on his heels.

My eyes go wide as I slowly back away. These people or demons or whatever they are are completely insane. I turn around and run in the direction of my friends' place, past the school.

I'm barely out of breath as I run past the school yard. I can feel the adrenaline running through me, pumping through my viens with such ferocity, I could lift up a car. I jog to the back and sit against the tall brick building, trying to shake my nerves.

Suddenly, I feel this uncomfortable aura around me, like yesterday, so I glance around. No one is there. Uneasiness floods through me. I feel like I'm trembling horribly, and my headache is returning. I should've just kept going, but where else should I go? Should I still go to Akira's?

I finally see what made me feel weird. A taller boy with jet black hair is casually walking down the path, just a stone's throw away. I jump up, ready to run, but he doesn't seem to notice me. I hastily stalk away until he magically appears right in front of my path. I yelp, putting up my hands up in some form of defense.

"Hello," it's the same voice I heard before at the arcade. Yusuke.

"Hi," I squeak back.

"What's your name, tiny?"

"Um, well I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

"Oh, c'mon I'm not as harmful as I look," he laughs but it doesn't reach his eyes.

"I guess not," I say, trying to sound shy, and not angry or scared. I blurt out the first name that comes to my mind. "I'm Yuki."

"Hm. What's with the backpack, Yuki?" he observes me. I start to walk away, past the school gate in the back.

"I was on my way to my friend's house," I inquire casually.

"I see. Well, I'm looking for a friend of mine. Do you happen to know Mayumi Zhao? Or, Hikari rather?"

"N-no," I whisper, shooting a look at the group of trees to my right. "I think I should get going, it's kinda late."

He chuckles evilly. "I don't think that's going to happen, Mayumi," Yusuke looks me dead in the eyes.

I turn around and run faster than ever _again_ , sliding through the trees and off the path. "Hey!" I hear him call out, but I don't even glance back. Once his loud footsteps die down, I veer to the left, going towards downtown. I can blend in with the crowds then. Light barely shines through the foliage, casting an eerie green shadow around me. I come upon a familiar stone path that leads to a huge fountain at the center of the park, and start walking again.

A few minutes later, I get that feeling again and hear quiet talking, so I dive to the right and scale a tree. Two people pass under me in my branch, just a random couple arguing about something stupid. I sigh in relief and swing down from my perch only to ram right into someone I couldn't see a moment ago. Déjà vu much.

I swivel around to see an abnormally tall ginger dude with a blue uniform on. "Hello," he says smirking. It's the stupid-sounding one from the archade. I'm running away before he can say anything else. Soon, the trees start to thin and I can hear cars in front of me. The Main Street lies ahead, cars whizzing past. I appear to have outrun the kid behind me, or he went to go find the rest of those freaks.

I stand for a few minutes, waiting for the crosswalk to turn green so I don't get ran over. I feel the uncomfortable presence again. Jeez. My eyes dart around me, trying to find the people who keep chasing me.

God, these demon-people are relentless! I glance back at the road. The crosswalk light is still red, so I wait for my moment and... GO! I sprint across the busy street. I dodge a few cars and a million horns go off, but I get to the other side completely fine, just a little out of breath. I stick out my tongue to whoever is behind me and trot away down the next street. Behind me, a little clink goes off and the sound of cars moving stops. Soon following is the sound of running.

"Are you serious?!" I scream out loud as I'm forced to run again. Scooting past the few people on the sidewalk, I sidestep into a narrow alley. Panting and clutching my side, I keep slowly moving forward. I have to get away from these crazy people. Even though I barely knew what they were all talking about, or how it connects to me, I know that it will bring danger. But going off of a few hours of sleep and hardly eating anything all day are starting to slow me down. I feel like throwing up again. I pull the pepper spray out of my bag in a last-ditch effort. I didn't really want to have to hurt anyone, but it's the only thing I can think of doing. I'm certainly not in the condition to keep running away the whole night.

So I wait.

"Thank God," I whisper as I see the last figure jog past my hiding spot.

"Will your God save you now?" a voice calls out behind me. I whirl around with my heart in my throat, dread filling me.

The dude standing in front of me is a bit taller than me with a muscular, lean body. He wears all black with a cape wrapped around him, hands in his pockets. A white headband is tied across his forehead, framing his crazy black hair (with a random white stripe) that's spiked up to make him look even taller. His slanted eyes glow a brilliant crimson. The guy's pale face is expressionless, staring at me with those intense (yet mesmerizing) eyes. Despite the fact I'm staring back at him, he doesn't seem the least bit uncomfortable.

"Hello, human," he just looks at me. Who calls another human 'human'? No one, that's who. I back away, but my feet slip right out from underneath me. Down I go again, cheeks flushing. Still, I back away from this new character.

"What do you want with me?" I choke out, still managing to sound pissed off.

"Is that any way to greet someone who saved your life?" he spits at me. Then I make a connection.

"Wait, you- you're the guy who- in the alley-"

"Stop talking, you're just making yourself look like more of a fool. Now come. We've been looking for you this whole time."

"Why did you save me? Who are you people?" I say, trembling.

"It will all be explained in due time," he inquires, somewhat bored. I don't move, whether from an act of defiance or pure terror, I don't know. But he doesn't like it. "Don't make me force you."

My eyes go wide at this demon who saved me. He has opened up a new idea of horror for me, being way worse than that Mr. Muscle guy in the alley. His tone and manner just makes me want to listen to everything he has to say, heeding to his every command. Though he seems quiet and calm (and small), I can already feel the immense power just oozing off of his very being, like he is able to get me to do whatever he wanted, or can kill me in an instant. My cowardice surprises me, though, and just makes me more mad.

"You can't tell me what to do. Just because you saved me once doesn't mean I owe you or something! You're not in charge of me. I refuse to get involved in that whole demon thing," I say in a full voice, not quite yelling. Just angry and strong.

His powerful figure and unreadable face broke into an image of pure shock at my insubordination. But I guess that isn't a good thing. He steps closer to me until he's leaning right in my face. Now his anger is starting to show. "You ignorant little pest, you will come with me before I knock you unconscious and take you with me anyways."

I yank out the bottle of pepper spray and push my finger down on the nozzle. He gets a full blast of it in his face as I feel the slight burning and inching as the spray gets picked up by the breeze. If it's affecting him at all, he has a good poker face. "Wrong answer."

In one quick motion, he grabs the side of my head and slams it into the metal trash bin beside me. Everything goes black.

*** Hiei POV ***

The human girl is a bit heavier than I expected. Not too heavy for me, of course. I had picked her up with her backpack still on. It took a few times to get a grip on her small body, but eventually, I did. So now, she's lying across my back with my arms under her legs holding her up. If someone were to try and attack us, I wouldn't be able to do much about it. No thanks to the foolish girl. If only she listened to me in the first place... though her defiance was all the more intriguing. And infuriating.

I glare as I walk forward, cursing the existence of all humans. The girl is just creating more problems for everyone. Wouldn't it be easier to just kill her and get it over with? Honestly, that seems like the best option. Then we wouldn't have to worry about the stupid prophecy.

Although, if what Koenma said was right about her father... it sounds so tempting to find him and-

I push the thought aside and trudge forward. The alley is dimly lit in the darkening sky. Something drips on my shoulder, so I glance over. A red liquid is streaming down my shirt.

The fool Botan won't be too happy that the human is injured. No matter. She's not dead. I can feel and hear her fragile heart pumping, and her lungs moving up and down against my back. Her light hair brushes against my neck, making it rather itchy. The girl's limp arms hang lazily by my chest, swinging as I walk.

Why couldn't she have just listened?

Practically growling, I find the main street that I came from before. There aren't many of those blasted humans now because of the setting sun. Thankfully.

I follow the direction Yusuke and the others went. They better not have gotten far. I refuse to carry this swine for much longer.

After walking for a few minutes, I see the familiar cherry red hair from a bit away. I smile slightly at the sight of my companion, Kurama.

He sees me and jogs over. I nod at him saying, "Hello, fox."

"Hiei. I see you've found Mrs. Hikari. Well done," he raises his eyebrows.

"Hn. It wasn't that difficult."

"I see. The others have already gone back to Genkai's. Once you slipped away, they assumed you detected something unusual. I also believe they were getting tired of looking for the girl. I was just about to go there myself."

"Well, I'm glad to have reached to you before you left, fox," I say as we begin walking.

"Do you want me to carry her?" Kurama looks at me sideways.

"No," I hiss immediately. "I don't need help."

I see him smile to himself. "What?" I whisper.

"Nothing," I can hear the amusement in his voice. "I can see that it got a bit violent."

I glare at the thought of her pathetic actions. "There's no need to worry. She's still breathing."

"I realize that, Hiei, but she can have a concussion. Or worse."

"That's her fault. She could've came with me quietly," I glance around trying not to sound defensive. "I did what I had to do, Kurama."

"I know, you usually stay levelheaded in these kinds of situations. But the others may not be too pleased that she's being delivered to them in an unconscious state."

"Hn. Well they'll have to deal with it. They wouldn't have caught her anyways."

"And why do you say that?" Kurama looks at me again curiously. I say nothing because I honestly don't even know why I said it.

The long way to the old hag's place is spent in silence. Though most people would've thought it to be an awkward silence, Kurama and I have established a more comfortable thing. I know he respects my liking for quiet, which most people I meet don't even realize. In turn, I respect his entity and good-natured self. Or I tolerate it.

Its not until we reach the front doors, long after the sun had gone down and the bright moon appeared in the sky, does he say anything.

"Be prepared," he whispers, glancing at me.

"Hn," is all I say. It's not even worth it to ask. No doubt it has to do with the girl... who appears to be drooling right on me. I look over at her pale face that's resting on my shoulder. It's all scrunched up as if she's having a nightmare. Good. Her head has stopped bleeding, but the line of saliva trailing from her mouth in unwavering. In disgust, I have the urge to throw her off behind me, rolling down the stone steps.

The fox breaks me out of my thoughts. "Hiei," he motions for me to proceed through the front door as he holds it. I roll my eyes, but step on ahead.

Conversations float through the hall coming from the room ahead. I nimbly slip in, drop the girl on the empty couch, and sink back into the corner of the room. What's there to say anyways?

Dead silence. Even Kurama is staring at me with those sharp green eyes in the doorway.

"What?" I growl at the fools.

"Hiei," Botan chokes. "You found her."

I just shrug.

"Hey, tiny actually helped us out for once!" the orange headed buffoon jumps over to me and pokes me in the arm. Barely acknowledging him, I shove my hands in my pockets. This seems to infuriate him.

"Before Kuwabara attempts to hurt you, mind telling us why she's not awake?" Yusuke asks.

"She wasn't cooperating."

"Hiei, that really wasn't a nice welcoming. She already doesn't trust any of us the way it is," Botan shakes her finger at me.

"And you're going to get her blood all over my couch," Genkai spits at me.

"I wasn't told to welcome her. I was told to find her. And I did," I huff at her, annoyed.

"You could've done a better job! She's going to be scared or mad or-,"

"I can't control the human's emotions; otherwise we wouldn't be in this situation, now would we? And frankly, I don't even care," I say.

"Looks like shorty didn't help us after all," Kuwabara mumbles. I finally meet his eye, which makes him jump a bit.

Koenma, who I hadn't noticed before, clears his throat. He stands up tall in his teen age form as if to remind us of his position of power. Hah! I could crush that toddler like a bug. "Now guys, Hiei has done us a great favor in finding Mayumi. The way in which he did so-" I scowl. "-was a little violent, unnecessary even, but that's a little expected when it comes to... Well, you know, him."

"I've told you before, she's not ready to know all this yet! The Deadline is almost two years away! Just give her time to mature and let my break it to her slowly," the fool Mrs. Zhào speaks up. What a pointless idea.

Koenma agrees with me. "Unfortunately, there isn't time. Though it is supposed to be a year and a half away from now, that time will pass quickly. She has to learn how to maintain and control all of her spirit and demon energy, enabling her to fight off demons and fulfill the prophecy. So it's better that she learns as much as she can now and begin her training because we have to prepare her for literally anything that can happen," Koenma says in his matter-of-fact tone.

"Koenma is right. If we wait much longer, it puts all three worlds at risk. The fate of Makai, Reikai, and Ningenkai rests in her hands," Botan inquires. We all glance over at her. The girl's hair is a tangled mess, there are scrapes and bruises all over her body, and her forehead is beginning to swell up. She's still drooling. We all look back at Botan, me with a glare on my face.

"You're telling me that this pathetic human is supposed to save us all?" I demand.

Her eyes go wide. "More or less."

"That doesn't even make any sense. She seems so... Normal! How could she be so important?" Yusuke yells. I have been thinking the same thing.

"Well, I doubt Koenma has gone through this much trouble for some unrelated reason. This really is more important that we may know. This has to do with the fate of all of our lives, along with millions of others. And, Yusuke, as you may remember long ago, you were in her shoes once, too, being 'normal'." Kurama points out to us. Always something annoyingly true to say.

"Whatever, I just want to know how there will be enough time for her to gain a lot of power if this is the case," the buffoon Kuwabara asks.

"And what does she even have to do? What does the prophecy say?" Yusuke puts his hands on his hips.

"Well... About that. We-uhh," Koenma's eyes are darting around the room at all of us. "We don't exactly know where Takahiro is, and only the family knows exactly what the prophecy states. So only time will tell. Until we can find him of course."

I let that sink in. After a minute of silence, I say, "So you're meaning to tell me that you've been going off of assumptions this entire time?!"

"It will all be explained! Once she wakes up, I'll explain everything to all of you," Koenma puts his hand up in defense.

"How can you explain anything when you don't even know?" I snap.

Everyone joins in on my comment, arguing with each other in a mass of confusion and yelling. All over this dumb girl. I only stand back and watch as chaos breaks out. At one point, the oaf Kuwabara starts yelling things at me, but I ignore him. He tries to tackle me, though I sidestep, and he falls to the ground in an odd occurrence of déjà vu.

Through the commotion, a soft, innocent voice makes me jump (makes ME jump), and my head shoots over in that direction. Nausea fills me and I feel the scowl leave my face.

"I don't mean to interrupt," Yukina says standing in the middle of the fuss. She makes everyone go silent. "But it appears that Mrs. Hikari has awoken."

My eyes follow over to the couch where the human is sitting with one leg hanging down gapping at us all. I see no fear in her eyes, but nearly confusion and (most of all) shock.

But not the slightest bit of fear.

We all just look at her, too surprised to say or do anything. After a long, uncomfortable silence, Yukina kneels down next to her, smiling kindly. "Hello, Mrs. Hikari. Are you alright? Would you like some ice for your head? A snack maybe?"

The girl glances at Yukina stupidly. Then she tips her head up to look at everyone else, finally ending with me. I look deep into her eyes, expressionless, awaiting her reaction to all of this. Then, her blue eyes flash with an impossibly brilliant gold, like a match being lit underwater. Her shock turns to anger.

"You!" She jumps up and stabs her finger at me. "You knocked me out in that alley!"

"I also saved your life not long before that. Your point, human?" I say back calmly. How ungrateful.

"Yeah, well you,-" she starts, but fatigue seems to overcome her. She puts her hand on her head, and unsteadily slumps back in her seat. "Woah-oh."

"Hiei, I told you she may have a concussion," Kurama mumbles to me. I say nothing.

She appears to regain her speech. Pointing at the dumb ferry, she says, "And you, you came to my house to tell me about my real family and then you leave without saying a damn thing! I had no idea what was going on until I overheard you talking in the arcade! And that just made me more confused, that bull about my dad!"

Botan opens her mouth to respond, but the girl keeps going.

"Yeah, I was there! I heard the whole conversation between you and those other guys. The whole thing about my family and-and my father! You think I'm meant to do this big thing with some prophecy? And that my father is a _demon_? Do I look like a demon to you? You are all insane!" She looks insane herself with that wild golden flame burning in her eyes.

Suddenly, Yusuke begins to laugh. "Insane. You don't know a bit about insane, do you, kid?"

She looks dumbfounded. "Am I on one of those prank-reality TV shows?"

"Far from it," I hiss, finding it hard to hold my tongue. Something about her just... "It's called real life."

Yukina walks out of the room into the kitchen. The girl watches her leave and then looks back at us, the suspicious golden glean gone from her eyes. All that's left is a deep sadness...

"Sun," Botan sits next to her. "I know this can seem a bit crazy. But just bear with us. This is more important than you can ever imagine."

"I don't want to bear with you. This isn't my business. I honestly don't think I have anything to do with this demon junk. I just want to know about my parents. I want to know who I am," her head hung low, eyes closed. I look at her with a new consideration. She want to know who she is...

The blue haired fool tries to comfort her. "Oh, Sun! You have to let us explain everything! It- it's a little complicated. All of this does have to do with your parents."

"But I'm just a normal girl."

"Not anymore!" Yusuke lightly punched her shoulder. This doesn't seem to excite her.

Yukina comes back in with some things in a tray. "Here, why don't you eat something? And this will help with your head," she hands the girl an ice pack.

"Thank you," she places it slowly on her head. She looks at the tray with a sudden hunger, and begins eating anything she could get her hands on. I look away in disgust.

"Allow me," Kurama suddenly offers. I glance over at the fox with his brow scrunched in disgust. He lightly dabs the blood off her face with a wet cloth. Her cheeks are pink, looking anywhere but in his eyes. I feel a pang of annoyance at the both of them.

"So... While Kurama is doing that, we can tell you-well- everything," Koenma bows forward to introduce himself. "I am King Enma Jr., otherwise known as Koenma, Ruler of Spirit World, or Reikia. I think you already met Botan-" he gestures towards her "- but she's what's knows as a Grim Reaper of Spirit World. That's Kazuma Kuwabara, one of Yusuke's friends that possesses an unusual amount of supernatural powers that he uses to fight in our team. Yusuke Urameshi-" Yusuke smiled at her charmingly. "-who is a spirit detective, human-demon hybrid, Mazoku, and S-Class demon. His ancestral forefather, Raizen, was one of The Three Kings of Makai, or demon world. The one that tended to you is Kurama-" the girl glanced at the fox briefly, who had gotten up to stand next to the others "- who was born with the soul of the fox demon Yoko merged into his. Also an S-Class demon. And this house is Genkai's, who has been Yusuke's trainer and master the past few years. She had an extraordinary amount of supernatural energy, much like Kuwabara, but she gave her Spirit inheritance to Yusuke not too long ago. Yukina lives here with Genkai. She's an Ice Apparition and happens to be an excellent healer-"

Kuwabara interrupts him, "I would also like to mention that we're madly in love!"

Yukina smiles up at him unknowingly. My eye twitches with annoyance.

Koenma continues. "And the last one in the group is Hiei. You already met him on several occasions. Anyways, he's a Fire Apparition, S-Class demon."

"Otherwise known as the shrimp of the team," I hear Kuwabara whisper to the girl. I scowl. I look over to see the girl staring at me curiosly. I just hold the gaze back, narrowing my eyes at her.

"And you're the guy who saved me in that alley?" she asks me.

"Hn," is all I say. The girl looks back at Koenma.

"That's our team," Yusuke gives her a thumbs up.

"So... What has that got to do with me?" the girl questions.

"Well... It's your destiny," Koenma replies. "You said you overheard Botan talking about your father? He's a demon, too. A very powerful one from a family that goes back generations in the history of Makai. Takahiro Hikari is his name. We just know about the prophecy because, right after you were born, he asked us to get someone to protect you. He knew it would be best for you to be around other humans so that demons in Makai didn't hurt you, or worse. Then the prophecy could never be fulfilled. So, we got one of our retired Grim Reapers to watch over and raise you until it was time to bring you to him again. That's where Noriko Zhào comes in. She's been your legal guardian for the past 16 years, but she's also been your protector."

The others are listening intently, for most of this was new information for all of us. The girl just looks even more baffled.

"Wait a minute," she says. "You said bring me to him again? I'm going to... Meet him?"

Koenma hesitates. "Yes, that was the original plan, but..."

"But what?" She urges him.

"We haven't had any contact with him in the past few months, and he's not anywhere where we could find him in Makai. So that's why we have to train you here until we get some type of word from him."

"Oh," she seems a bit disappointed.

"I'm guessing that the only possible reason demons are starting to attack you now is that the Deadline is coming up and they want to kill you so that the prophecy can't be fulfilled."

"And what happens if they were to be successful?" Kurama asks him.

"Destruction and chaos would erupt between all three worlds, causing millions of deaths and no order. Which is exactly what some people-some demons-want. Apparently, word has spread quickly the past few months about the prophecy. I'm not exactly sure how one of the demons found you, Mayumi, but it certainly won't be the last," Koenma concludes.

"But-but I haven't even done anything! And my father is not some freaking demon thing, I can promise you that! You must have me confused with someone else! I'm just a completely normal, ordinary human girl!" she yells at him. She has some anger issues.

"Were you not listening to anything he just told you?" Yusuke leans down so their faces are even.

"Yeah, I listened! And it sounded like a load of bull!" the girl snaps at him, forcing him to back off. We all just stare at her.

"You really are a fool, aren't you?" I whisper, looking at the ground. She's starting to get annoying. The girl is in denial.

"Who was that guy in the alley? The one who tried to kill me?" she asks me directly, forcing me to look into her eyes.

"Why do you want to know if you don't even believe any of this?"

"Because the fact that some guys are out to get me doesn't change whether or not this demon or spirit world do exist," the girl says wisely. I consider this. She has a point.

"He was a bad demon," is all I say.

"And you're being completely serious," it's more of a statement then a question. Her stubbornness is finally residing. I just stare.

"Well, then what're you?"

"Koenma already answered that," Kurama says for me, noticing my annoyance. "Hiei is a Fire Apparition, which is a type of demon."

"No, no. I know that. I mean, if the other demon dude was bad, that means that you're good? So there are good and bad demons?" her question surprises me, but I let it sink in.

Then I find myself laughing. Now it's the fools turn to be surprised. The others look at me oddly, a smile playing at some of their mouths. Botan says, "Well, yes. In a way. But Hiei is... Complicated."

She looks at me skeptically, still no fear.

"What do you want, fool?" I ask.

"First of all, if you're going to insult me, at least use something more updated than fool. What is this, the 16th century?" she narrows her eyes at me. "And second, I have a name."

I glare back even fiercer, and go to step forward, but Kurama warns me with a clearing of his throat.

"I seem to have forgotten it," I tip my head back slightly, as to show dominance.

"After all this about me being important, I think you should know my name by now."

"First of all," I mock her. "I do not think you're important. And second, even if you were, I still wouldn't care enough to learn your name."

"Alright, alright! Do you have to argue with everyone, Hiei?" Botan silences us both.

I turn away from them. I'm done with this foolish girl. She should feel grateful towards me. She has no right to disrespect me. This human shouldn't even have the audacity to say anything in the manner that she did. They don't stop me as I slip out the door.


	4. Chapter 4: The Fall

"Koenma didn't appreciate you walking out much. It made Sun a little uneasy, too. She thought that you would stay since you were the one that saved her," Kurama greets me as I lay in a tree somewhere outside Genkai's house. It hasn't been that long since I left. I stealthily drop down next to him. The fox gives me that mysterious look again, smirking.

"Oh, I see you and the girl are on a first name basis now? What's the next step?" I turn away from him looking off into the mountains.

"Hiei," Kurama says steadily.

"Everything was fine until you all dragged me out of Makai for this stupid girl. And now I can't even go back without Koenma's permission because of this stupid W.E.L. he forced onto me," I look down at my wrist where the contraption is. "I don't see what she can possibly be capable of. I don't even know why Koenma needed me in the first place."

"Did you recognize the name Takahiro Hikari when Koenma spoke of it before all this?" Kurama asks me.

I don't respond. I had recognized it.

"I'm assuming that the only reason you agreed to this in the first place is for your hope that the rumors of Sun's father possessing the very weapon that you've recently been searching for are true. And now, you have to do it because of the W.E.L., correct?" the know-it-all inquires.

"Well, I certainly didn't do it out of the kindness of my heart," I grimace. "How could have guessed that? Anyways, she actually asked for you to attend her training,"

Kurama says tentatively. "Genkai said that it was alright. She wants all of us to help anyways."

"They're already going to try training the fool?"

He just nods.

A pang of annoyance fills my gut. "No." I can already see from his expression that this answer is expected, yet unacceptable.

"If you help to prepare her for the prophecy's challenges, you could possibly meet her father at one point. Especially if you get on her good side..." he trails on.

"Hn," is all I say.

"You won't be the only one there. All of us will contribute, it's just that we need you to fill in for the times when we can't be there. Genkai is getting older, so it's vital that we assist her in any way possible. Until her basic training is over, Sun will also need someone constantly with her for protection. And since the rest of us have school and families, that will have to be you. We candidly need your support, Hiei. The quicker this is over with, the better. Just think about it. It may appear to be a lot, but it's just one girl. How hard could I be?

"We are starting today after lunch as a practice run to see what she can do," the fox concludes.

He goes to walk away. "The girl has agreed to this? And she wants me to help?" I ask.

He pauses. "She doesn't exactly have a lot of options. The Deadline for the prophecy is only a short time away. Time is of the essence. And it's not just her life on the line: it's everyone's. And as for you helping, she didn't really say specifically. But I'm assuming that she just wants the demon who saved her in the alley to be there. Probably a comfort thing."

"So she doesn't really _want_ to do any of this is what you're saying."

He doesn't respond, and leaves me in silence.

I put my hands in my pockets, looking at the sky. It will be morning soon. If I help this human, then we can take her to Makai for her father to deal with. And then I can see if the rumors Kurama and many other demons spoke of are true. He was completely right in thinking that I want that weapon. At this point, it's my only interest in the girl. Also, I think if everyone were to go extinct in all three worlds, there would be no one to fight. And where's the fun in that? Helping them is the only way that toddler will take this dumb thing off my arm anyways.

I settle in to sleep for a few hours before they want to train her.

Makai...

The whole reason I left was for this pointless summoning. My curiosity had gotten the best of me. There was one thing I wanted (apart from getting a break from Mukuro's exasperating personality) that peaked my interest completely: the girl's father. There was word that he possessed a very powerful weapon that could be used for mass destruction. Actually, it's supposedly much like Kuwabara's Dimension Sword, except _much_ more powerful. Able to cut through dimensions, but also a direct doorway through all three worlds whenever you wanted. And once a demon holds it, their demon energy could be used to manipulate space and time.

But those are only rumors.

So now I'm stuck here in Ningenkai with the idiotic mortals. I'm rather angry with myself for agreeing to help them. I could've found the girl's father by myself. And now I can't even go back to demon world.

I lean back against the tree as I remember how Koenma tricked me into my own prison, less than a month ago.

I was resting in a tree when Koenma summoned me to Spirit world. We'd already been watching the girl for a week, and I was starting to get restless. Nothing was happening and Koenma still hadn't revealed any information on the girl or why we were doing this. He only said it was very important and related to the Hikari family.

About an hour and a half later, I strolled in through the giant double doors into Koenma's throne room. Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Botan all gathered around Koenma in his normal form.

Botan greeted me almost instantly. "Hiei! You're late!"

"Tell me something I care about, fool. Like why I should be wasting my valuable time here," I had said, bored. All of them refused to meet my eyes.

"Koenma would like to discuss some things with us Hiei," Kurama turned towards me, looking almost sad.

"Is it something actually relevant?"

"Very. It's about you," Koenma eyed me objectively.

"What about me?" I made my face go blank.

"About your tendency too... Shall we say... Slip away when you find a task boring or not important," he continued.

"What are you saying?" I said dejectedly, looking at them all.

"You have to stay committed to the task at hand. And therefore, I have found a way to make sure you stay in this world," Koenma gridded his teeth. "So, with the help of my father, I have created a device that prevents a demon from leaving a specific world without the permission of the beholder by attaching the demon's supernatural power and life energy to that world."

I took a step back, rage filling me. _Does he have the nerve_...? I thought.

"It's called a World Energy Link, or a W.E.L.," Botan spoke up. "And we would feel more comfortable if you were to put it on."

"No way in hell," I said.

"I'm sorry Hiei," Kurama finally actually made eye contact with me. "But we're not asking for your permission."

I turned and went to go out the door. I didn't have to deal with that. Not being able to leave the blasted human world at my own free will? That's ridiculous. And they still think that I'm going to help them after this?

But something stopped me. A hand on my shoulder. I looked over, practically shooting daggers with my eyes.

Yusuke was staring at me, trying to hide a smile. I shook off his grip. "If you think I'm putting that ridiculous device on, you've got another thing coming."

Suddenly, the two other men circled around the other side of me, forming a triangle. "I apologize Hiei," Kurama said again from behind me. "But it's for the best. This is about saving all three worlds."

I slid past the group easily and was about the escape out the doors when the buffoon, Botan, closed them right in front of my face.

I sensed someone coming up from behind, so I pounced off the ground and landed across the room, crouching. "How dare you," I spat at them. "I will not allow you to control where I can and cannot go!"

"It's just a precaution Hiei," Koenma said nervously. I practically glared through his very soul. "You do tend to be... Unreliable when we desperately need your assistance. Because of your free spirit and the desperate situation at hand, I would feel more comfortable knowing that you couldn't just go back to Makai suddenly. We need you with us."

The next thing I knew, I felt something being clamped down onto my wrist. My head shot over to see Kurama next to me, avoiding my eyes. "Did you agree to this?" I asked.

He didn't respond. I turned my attention to the foolish contraption on my left wrist. It was a simple metal bracelet with a small red button in the middle. Though it fit tightly against my skin, I attempted to rip it off.

"I wouldn't try that-" Koenma started but was broken off by a loud humming that was coming from the device. A glowing orb of what I sensed being demon energy appeared around my wrist. It stayed there for a few seconds until exploding in a burst of bright light. Shocks traveled up my arm and through the rest of my body. The pure energy sent waves of pain and exhaustion into me, forcing me to my knees. The pain was nothing close to the worst thing I'd experienced, but the device seemed to be using and draining me of my own energy. And a lot of it, at that.

Less than 10 seconds after it started, the shocks seemed to travel back to the bracelet, leaving me in a cold sweat and out of breath. Silence filled the room. Then Yusuke and Kuwabara broke out into obnoxious laughing fits, until they were rolling on the floor.

Koenma was the first to actually say something. "The W.E.L. not only bonds you to the world of my choice, but it can be used to control you as well. It's programmed to drain you of your supernatural energy whenever it's used. Like when you try to take it off, for example. It will use your own demon energy against you, Hiei, and if the situation allows, it may tap into your life energy. Leaving you drained and injured. I suggest you don't try to take it off again."

I slowly got up, practically trembling with rage. I almost couldn't contain myself. I hadn't felt that angry in a long time. _Why that blasted little toddler_ , I thought. _I'll kill him, King of Spirit World or not_. But I had to hold myself back. No doubt the stupid bracelet could shock me again if I do anything to him.

As if reading my mind, the bastard held up what looked like a remote and said, "I can control the bracelet through this. So I can choose what world I will allow you to go into. But also, if you try to hurt me or decide to run away somewhere in the human world to avoid us, I can simply push a button and activate the W.E.L. It will automatically go off if you try to take it off, or try to go into a world that you're not supposed to go to. I'm hoping I won't have to use it."

"Oh, you won't. Because you're going to take it off of me now," I said dangerously calm.

"Hiei, I suggest you cooperate," Kurama looked at me sideways. "Koenma's thoughts aren't exactly erroneous."

"You all summoned me for this idiotic mission," I growled. "And you're taking away my right to leave the blasted human planet? And you still expect me to assist you?"

The oaf, Kuwabara, spoke through his laughter. "Looks like you have no other choice, shorty. Koenma will just zap you otherwise."

"This is not humorous in any way!" I stepped over in front of him. He bit his lip, stifling his giggles. Yusuke was still laughing his loud cackle.

Without another word, I stormed towards the door. The dumb ferry slid out of the way. I clenched my teeth as Koenma shouted after me one last time. "Don't forget about this, Hiei. I want to hear that you've been watching over the girl while the others can't, like when they're at school. And I want you to protect her with your life. If it comes to that. We really need your help Hiei. And we need her alive. You're a vital aspect in the events to come. Also, when you go back to human world, I will make it so you cannot come back here or go to demon world. I suggest for a last time that you obey this. You will be bound to Ningenkai through your demon and life energy until you are needed elsewhere. And I will not take it off until this is all over with."

So I left without another word. I took my time returning to Ningenkai. There was no reason to stay here. But there was also no reason to rush. On the way, I thought of ways to destroy the device. Or Koenma himself.

 _Until this is all over with_...? I thought bitterly.

I tried to take it off in many different ways. Cutting it with my sword. Twisting it off. Breaking the middle button.

But none of them worked. I only got zapped with my own damn energy when I simply tried to pull it off. Yet, the idiotic W.E.L. seemed indestructible. Most annoyingly.

So I was stuck in the worst place I've possibly come to know. With the humans, the worst _race_ I've come to know, nonetheless. I wondered what Mukuro would think when I didn't come back...

***  
I wake up slowly. My back is propped up against a tree. I gaze out to the surrounding forest. To my far left, I can see the stone steps that lead to the old women's place.

I wonder what they will attempt to teach the fool. I sensed little supernatural energy from her before. Yet it was strange... There seemed to be this haze over her, acting somewhat like a force field. Obviously, if it was there to protect her, it wasn't working very well considering how easily that demon attacked her. But it could be why she appears to have no significant amount of energy. I mean, the girl should have some taking into account her father's immense power. No one has mentioned anything of the girl's mother so there's no way of knowing her power on that side of the spectrum.

I shake the thoughts off. _None of this affects me_ , I think. I refuse to let my curiosity overcome my real goal. This girl is just a stepping stone in getting there.

I steadily get up and start walking, taking my time. It can't be past mid-day. So they must be starting soon, as Kurama said. I enjoy the quiet walk there.

No one greets me as I arrive at the front door, hands in pockets. The kitchen and living room are empty too. It's not until I'm about to leave does a voice disrupt the silence.

"Everyone is out back with Ms. Hikari if that's what you're here for," Yukina's soft tone freezes me. It's rather strange that Genkai is letting us watch, for she did Yusuke's training in private.

"Hn," I glance over at the ice demon, and quickly leave. She's right indeed. The whole gang of fools, plus Kurama, are out there, some standing, some sitting lazily. I see Genkai watching over the girl across the yard. The girl is expressionless, but her body language says she's very uncomfortable.

Yusuke is the first to notice me. "Ah, finally came to join us, shorty? She was worried that you wouldn't come."

I can't tell if he's talking about Genkai or the girl, so I don't respond.

"You didn't miss much, she has no idea what she's doing," Kuwabara mumbles.

I smirk smugly. Predictable.

"Well I'm sorry I have no idea what you mean when you tell me to use my spirit or demon powers! This is insane," she growls over at him. Then, she spots me and seems to get more angry. But she doesn't say anything more to me.

I find my way over to Kurama's side. "As you can see, it's not going all too well," the fox says somewhat apprehensively.

"Hn, as expected."

"I notice you're being optimistic."

"As always," I sigh.

"Okay, you little brat. You're not trying hard enough. Do it again," Genkai forcefully instructs the girl. She points to a rock on the ground. The same task Yusuke had: pick up a rock with her supernatural energy.

"I still don't know what you mean by any of that! How the hell am I supposed to pick up a rock without touching it? And with whatever spirit energy? Like, I don't get it. I swear, if this is for some sitcom on TV or something..." her face gets tense as she concentrates on the small object. I can see the sweat dripping from her face, hear the breathlessness in her voice. Then I come to a conclusion.

"This method isn't going to work," I say suddenly.

"Okay, so how do you suppose we start off get training then?" Koenma says annoyed.

"There's plainly something preventing her from accessing or using her energy. Am I the only one who can barely sense it at all right now?"

"What are you saying, Hiei?" Kurama looks at me pointedly.

"I noticed that her energy somewhat revealed itself when the demon attacked her in the alley. So maybe the only way she can reach her energy is in dire situations, more specifically, life threatening. It may be the only way for her to use her energy until we find out what's preventing her otherwise," they're all looking at me (Kurama, slightly surprised).

"So what does that mean?" her ocean eyes lock on mine.

"It seems that we have to create our own version of that situation to see what you are capable of," I conclude. They all seem to be contemplating my idea. She gets even more frustrated.

"Do you know what?" She yells, starting to walk towards the rest of the group. "I'm done with this craziness. This is probably some weird dream anyways! I'm going home. You said that Mrs. Zhào already left with most of my things? Well I guess I'm leaving too. This is all just not real."

She pushes between Kurama and I, shoving me with her cool hand. We all stand in shocked silence as she walks into the house.

"That went well," Yusuke laughs.

"Yusuke, this isn't funny at all. We need her to start training now," Koenma rubs his forehead.

"Do you think she'll come back voluntarily?" Kurama asks him.

The toddler nods. "Whether it's from curiosity or danger, she'll eventually have to come back. In the meantime, I want Hiei to watch over her. Kurama and Botan will help me with research to see what could possibly be blocking her supernatural energy. You were onto something with that, Hiei. Yusuke and Kuwabara, I want you two to eliminate all the demons that are wondering around trying to find her."

No one argues, but Botan changes the topic. "Hiei, it wasn't really a great idea to threaten her a few moments ago. She was already worked up, and you scared her."

"She didn't look very scared, only angry. I wouldn't have killed her, and it would've been more productive than anything you fools would've came up with," I spit.

"I don't think-" she begins, but I don't even let her finish. I don't even bother going through the house. I hop onto the roof, then gracefully slip into the woods. Who does she think she is, always criticizing everything I do? They asked for my help. And I obliged. Anything to get this stupid W.E.L. off and find her father.

After a few minutes of jumping from tree to tree, I hear a familiar voice through the thicket. I gravitate towards it, curious.

It's the girl mumbling to herself as she storms down the millions of stone steps. "...those idiots... not real... the nerve of some people..."

Typical for a her to be talking to herself, walking somewhat recklessly. Her face shows deep confusion.

I roll my eyes at the fool from my branch, and turn. Right as my foot leaves my perch, I hear a sharp scream, causing me to miss the next step. Down I go, finally landing with a thud at the base of the tree. Shock fills me.

I shoot up from the ground and look around. The girl is sprawled out on the steps, about 7 feet down from where she was a moment ago. She is rubbing her left ankle, looking distressed.

"You fool!" I stand over her angrily. "Can you ever watch where you're going?"

She jumps at my voice and sudden appearance. "Uhh, I was- it's just I-umm-"

"Just stop talking," I pinch the bridge of my nose with my eyes closed. I can't exactly believe that the sudden yell made me fall out of a tree. It's been less than a month being bonded to this stupid planet. Is it already weakening me, making me... Less aware of my surroundings? Making me lose my demon energy? Making me more... Human?

Impossible.

Yet that's what appears to be happening... Right?

"Hiei," I look at her. "That is you, right?" I nod once. "Umm... Where you watching me?"

It takes me a second to register this. "Wha- no! What a ridiculous thought. I just heard you talking to yourself like the fool you are."

"Oh- okay," she glances at me nervously. "I think I twisted my ankle."

"Hn."

"So... I can't exactly walk on it right now..."

"Can you get to your point?"

"Well... Can you help me get home? In all honesty, I don't even know the way from here. And there are quite a bit of steps left," she begins running her fingers through a strand of her hair.

I consider this. Leaving her here won't do anyone any good...

Kurama's former words run through my head... _On her good side..._

"Fine," I growl.

"Oh. Um thanks," she breathes a sigh of relief. "So uhh." She pauses.

"Spit it out, you fool."

"How do you want to do this then?" She asks awkwardly.

I huff openly, and grab her under her knees and back like a child. "Oh!" She says, surprised.

So then I start down the steps, regretting my decision already.

She's quiet the whole time, which surprises me slightly. She seemed very talkative a few moments ago. I finally reach the bottom, and stop at the edge of the trees. I decide that it might be better to travel through the mountains up in the trees.

I jump up to the first branch, but stop dead when the girl gasps out loud. I look down at her. Her face has turned slightly green, and she's cringing against me.

"What's the matter with you?"

"I-I'm a little afraid of heights," she says through clenched teeth.

"Didn't you climb down that vine from your bedroom?" I ask the idiot.

"That was different. It was like, in the moment."

"Hn. Well I'm not a clumsy fool like you, so don't expect me to drop you," I begin jumping from tree to tree in the direction of the city. She falls silent again, somewhat reassured, but she clutches the front of my shirt still, nervously.

A few hours pass like this. I feel myself getting slightly annoyed. I could've been doing something more productive by now if the girl wasn't so foolish.

Finally, I arrive on the first rooftop of the blasted human city. It shouldn't take long to get to her house from here.

It doesn't. I land lightly on her balcony, causing her to stir. Apparently, she had been sleeping. Annoyance fills me.

I set her down on the bed, and turn to leave. "Hey wait," she calls out. I stop. "I just want to say, thanks so much. For like saving my life and stuff. And taking me home now. I... I really owe you. Even thought you probably don't even exist."

"You still believe this is a dream," I say, bored.

"Well, it's too crazy to be real, right?"

"Hn."

"Is that all you say? What does that even mean?" She inquires. I just look back at her.

"Anyways, I want to apologize for yesterday. I should've been more grateful. After all I wouldn't really be here if it weren't for you. Can we just start over?"

"Hn," I just eye this inquisitive creature.

"I'll... Take that as a yes," she suddenly smiles brightly. "I'm Mayumi Zhào. Or Hikari?... Anyways. My friends call me Sun."

"Well, Mayumi, don't ever expect me to call you that, for I do not have 'friends'."

"Nice to meet you too, Hiei," she sighs. I step to the sliding glass door. "Will I see you or the others again?"

I shrug. "Not if you continue to believe that this whole encounter was a dream," I say matter-of-factly, slipping onto the balcony and into the alley before she gets the chance to respond.


	5. Chapter 5: More Bonds

It's been a few days since the little pest decided to flee Genkai's. Yusuke and Kuwabara said that they've had to "take care of" at least one demon every day. What a nuisance.

She has made no effort to contact any of us. The girl actually acts as if it never even happened. I noticed, since I have to watch over her every day, that she does have a bandage wrapped around her ankle and walks with a slight limp. So if she realized that she still has a twisted ankle, then how is she still able to convince herself that none of it happened? _I will never understand... well... I can't exactly call her a human anymore_ , I think.

Kurama told us that after looking through some records with Koenma and Botan, they discovered many things about the girl and, more specifically, her heritage. Takahiro Hikari is a shadow dimension demon, which is what their family is mostly made up of. They basically can manipulate space and time, and the atmospheric area around them. The abilities of the demon depends (obviously) on their own personal experiences, physically and such. Anyways, he is the last one in the family. He had a team of demons and they traveled around Makai, not doing anything in particular. They mostly helped to prevent any demons from going into Ningenkai. They have been known throughout Makai as an elite and powerful fighting group, well respected (even though I've only heard about Hikari himself, and not his team). But a few months ago, he and his group disappeared. His whereabouts are still unknown.

They found out less about her mother. She was a subspecies of some powerful demon type (though they didn't find out the exact kind of demon she was) and there are very few of them left. They may even be extinct now. The species didn't have many abilities, so they didn't really bother anyone in Makai. No one knows where she is either.

They also found out that, thousands of years ago, someone from the Hikari family (another shadow dimension demon) attempted to take down the Kekkai barrier between human and demon world. They used a special weapon called the Pseudo sword that can cut through the different worlds and dimensions when in the hands of a normal demon, but can do even more in the hands of a Hikari. Because of the immense power of the demon and the sword itself, the demon was able to cut a large hole through it, allowing demons into human world. Shortly after, the prophecy was made. Kurama assumed that the prophecy has something to do with that, but there's still no way of knowing what it's for, exactly.

So, we've just been watching over her. _I've_ been watching over her. And it's not very exciting. If it wasn't for this stupid WEL I would be far into Makai right now, fighting demons with Mukuro, away from all these blasted humans. It sounds much more appealing then what I'm doing now.

The girl is extremely foolish. All she does is trips on things, and reads. She's actually at her house alone now because the old ferry hag left on a "business trip", which is actually her just staying at Genkai's house, helping her plan the training (if it is ever going to happen). I'm almost certain the old fool doesn't even have a job, but that's not my problem if the Hikari girl is suspicious.

When she's at school is the worst time because there's absolutely nothing productive to do and I can't leave. Or I _shouldn't_ leave.

When the girl is at school I usually venture out into the park around the back and do... Anything but sit around basically. Mostly training with my sword. I was right in assuming the day I fell out of the tree that my reflexes are becoming slower. Kurama actually commented on it while I was meeting him the other day.

"Hiei, are your reflexes becoming any slower?" he had suddenly asked me. I remember looking at him, glaring.

"That's none of your business Kurama."

He had smiled briefly, but then turned serious. "As I assumed. Koenma didn't consider that being linked to a world could possible manipulate one's demon energy, and almost weaken them to the point of becoming less powerful, less _demon_. You have nothing to worry about at this exact moment, you've only had the WEL for a few weeks, but I'm just going to warn you now that you're going to become weaker and weaker. Just don't panic. And-if you get to the point of being almost, well, human- don't do foolish things that you won't be physically capable of doing because you feel like you have to prove something."

In all honesty, I was lost for words. I was completely unprepared for what he said, and not only that, what he said struck unease in me. He had to be wrong. I couldn't lose all my demon energy because of one idiotic device. Could I? After a few moments, I spat, "Then why don't you tell your Lord Koenma to take it off, if you're so concerned."

"Hiei, I'm simply forewarning you because it is very serious. I suggest you start noticing your growing weak points and become accustomed to the limitations," Kurama eyed me knowingly.

"I can handle myself, thanks."

"And also, if you were wondering, your powers and energy _will_ return to you once you return to Makai, because then you and your demon energy won't be linked to Ninjenkai anymore. However, there is no way of knowing how soon that will be. And there's no way of knowing how that significant amount of demon energy will effect you, physically or even mentally, when it all comes back to you upon returning to demon world. Just be cautious."

I shake his words out of my head. The annoying wiseacre. I growl inaudibly.

The doors to the front of the school open finally. Now the girl will be heading home, and she'll arrive safely. Then, she'll either read or watch some foolish human show as I sit and watch through the back window. Then she'll cook her dinner. Then she'll call someone on the phone and stay on it for about an hour. Then she'll go up to bed. Then I will fall asleep in the tree in her neighbors backyard, just as it has been happening every day.

I see her exit the school, looking content as usual. I've been noticing that she doesn't really talk to anyone as she leaves as the others do, never says goodbye to a friend. Only rarely does one boy smile at her and wave. One time, he actually offered to walk her home. It annoyed me when she refused because I could've left if they'd gone together. I believe she has another friend that attends a different school, because I see them meet up sometimes.

So she walks home alone. Every day, the same path. Sometimes she walks as slow as she physically can and then other times, she runs faster than I've seen any human run before, maybe even as fast as Yusuke can. Unsurprisingly, though, I keep up easily.

Today is no different. And soon enough, I'm lying in the tree, with nothing to do again. Although... I feel a jolt of uneasiness. I sense demon energy somewhere around me, more powerful than any of the other demons I've seen lately and I smile to myself. Finally, something to murder.

But as soon as it appeared, it's gone. Curious, I crouch on the branch and look around. There's nothing unusual...

Except the lights in the house are off. She never turns the lights off this early. Narrowing my eyes, I slip out of the tree and into her backyard. Through a quick scan, i see that she's not downstairs at all. I climb onto the girl's balcony and look into her room. Nothing.

That sudden burst of demon energy... Is it possible that a demon came, took her, and then fled back to Makai? Or even killed her? I sigh, annoyed. Whatever happened, it isn't good.

I go onto the roof and look around. To my left down the alley and street a bit is the main city, where the girl's school is and the human structures reach high into the sky. To my right is the more suburban area in which the girl lives, where the buildings and houses were only slightly smaller, just more residential.

Still, I see nothing unusual. I begin to make my way towards the city, unable to think of what to do.

I do a double take when I finally see her. She's just casually walking on the sidewalk in the city, so carefree that I want to strangle her. The fool is just walking. I glare so hard that I think she feels it. The idiot made me actually believe that she was taken. And what is she doing, anyways? I follow her on the roofs of the buildings, actually a bit curious, around turns and down streets.

After a short stroll, she enters one of the structures. I squat on the edge of the building to wait, a few stories above the street level.

My eyes flutter open as I hear the bell ring for the building's doors. At least I wasn't waiting that long. I sigh. Glancing down, I stand up and stretch out my stiff legs and back. She has a few bags of things, probably groceries. It's dusk so there aren't many people on the street. The girl began the hike back to her house. Back the way we came.

I decide to venture ahead of her, impatiently. The girl is extremely snail-like when she's being nonchalant. I can just wait at the end of her street.

As I easily make my way ahead of her, annoyance creeps into my gut.

 _Why... Am I doing any of this?_ I think.

 _All of this is so inane. These fools don't need me! They could easily handle this by themselves. This girl doesn't even need anyone to watch her. As long as the detective and the oaf find the demons before they get to her, she would be fine. I should be in Makai right now. Away from these useless humans._

I grind my teeth at the thought of Koenma's stupid device attached to my wrist. There's no way to take it off until Koenma decides that. However annoying that is, I can't afford to get on any of their bad sides even though they all so easily get on mine.

So I just wait.

 _That fool is taking awfully long_ , I think. It's been almost ten minutes, and there is no sign of her. _What could be holding her up? Maybe she went into another store...?_

I pull my cape tight around me and make my way down the street, remembering the way to the store. All the while, I listen attentively for the girl.

I don't see her at all even when I'm back at the store she went to. _Maybe I should call out to her?_ I think. _The stupid human can't even walk without getting into trouble_.

Then, suddenly, I grab the hilt of the kitana and swing it out behind me, turning as I do so.

"Very impressive, Hiei," says the demon who had been watching me this whole time. He had put up his arm to defend himself, and my blade had put a deep gash from his wrist up to his elbow. He's standing a few feet away, looking contently surprised. "It's unusual for someone to be able to detect me so easily. But not surprising for you, of course. You knew I was here the whole time, didn't you?"

"Who are you? And why are you here? Tell me before I kill you," I slightly lower my sword and stand up prominently.

"I am Koji, of team Daichi, but you'll learn more about that later," he waves me off. "And you already know the answer to the second question."

I don't say anything, but I'm almost positive of the answer.

He looks at me mysteriously, almost sizing me up. The demon doesn't look significantly strong, but nimble and thin. He bears no significant sign of being a demon but the aura of energy coming off of him is slightly noticeable. Pathetic. He circles around the other side of the roof right before the lip on the edge. Blood leaks from the wound he recieved, but he takes no notice of it.

"The Hikari girl is why I'm here," he confirms. Obviously. _But why is he talking to me?_

"You must know about the prophecy because of Koenma, correct?"

"Why do you keep talking fool? Tell me what you want before I kill you," I spit at him, irritated. The only reason he's not dead so far is because I can get some useful information from him.

"Oh, I'm simply here to distract you," he smiles at me and pulls out two dual kodachi swords. My eyelids droop slightly, unamused. But on the inside, I feel myself itching for a fight. An _actual_ fight.

I take my stance across from the demon, Koji, ready for whatever fight he can bring, kitana in hand. I can beat this guy in an instant.

"Let's see what the infamous Hiei Jaganshi is capable of," he smiles even wider, showing off his seemingly sharp teeth.

I lung at him with incredible speed and I swing my sword upwards into his side. He blocks it with his left kodachi, so I swivel around and go for his other side. He doesn't even give me the chance.

Through the corner of my eye, I see him pull his other free sword back. I flip backwards, bringing my kitana up in an attempt to at least injure him, and crouch on the edge of the roof.

"You're very fast, as I've heard," he says across from me. He isn't really acting like he's trying to kill me. But he's succeeding at distracting me. He said he has a team... They probably sent this fool to come distract me while they take the girl. Or kill her. Or do whatever they plan to do.

I glare deeply at him. He's not as fast as I was expecting, and he hasn't exposed any special abilities yet. And all the while he's staring at me intently with those huge silvery eyes, as if judging and noting my every move. It actually annoys me a bit.

This time, he doesn't wait for my attack. He runs at me full force, though I'm still able to see all of his movements. The swords are on either side of him, curved outward in my direction.

I almost smile as I block both of his weapons as they cross in the center, inches from my face. Hah! Weakling. I push down on my kitana over his crossed swords, launching myself over him. I turn around in mid-air to kick him in the side of the head.

His reflexes are slow. My foot connects to his temple, sending him flying across the roof. Before stopping, he slides a few feet on his side.

I gently land on my heals, crouching. I smirk and say, "You fool. Did you really think you could beat me that easily? Just because we're in Ninjenkai doesn't mean that I can't beat some low class demon."

He struggles for a second before slouching back up. He coughs into his hand, and I see a flash of crimson. His voice sounds slow and strained as he says, "I think you're problem is you underestimate people too much."

I feel something on my cheek, and my fingers touch a small open wound. He must've been able to cut my face when he first ran at me.

"Wow, a paper cut. Show me an actual challenge, you swine."

"Sounds good to me," he shrugs.

Suddenly, the wind picks up around me, whipping around almost like it's alive, and the small amount demon energy that I was sensing before explodes into a visible dark aura around him. _A wind demon? Haven't seen one of those in a while. This can get interesting._

"Hah! Your petty little winds aren't able to kill me, you fool."

He says nothing, concentration etched deep into his face. The blow I made to his head seems to have disoriented him a bit. Then, he lets go of his kodachi's and the wind immediately sucks them up. The swords begin swirling around and around in the winds forming a tornado, almost too fast to see. Soon the swords aren't visible at all with all the dust and debris floating around in the twisting force. "I call this the Dual Sword Tornado technique, and people rarely live to tell others about. You should feel honored, Hiei because I'm not instructed to kill you today. Unfortunately, though, you're going to have to come with me."

The storm surges forward, and I feel my feet start slipping. _Come with him?_ If I know one thing for sure, that's not going to happen. I'm going to defeat this fool, find the girl, and then go back to Genkai's with her. I'm done with this waiting. The girl should start training. I shouldn't have to babysit.

I clutch my kitana tightly, but my cape is almost being ripped from my body dragging my towards the swirling vortex. Hair whipping in my face, I attempt to slip around the tornado on the other side of the rooftop to get to the fool, but I don't even get the chance. As soon as my foot leaves the ground, I'm being sucked into the tornado.

It turns me around a few times on the outside, and by the umpteenth time going around, I don't know which way is up or down. I can't even really see _anything_. There seems to be no "eye of the storm" either like in a regular tornado. Only endless gray winds that make me unable control where I move. The sheer force and noise of the thing makes my ears ring horribly, almost vibrating me. The air pressure is significantly different than what I'm used to, different wind currents rip my sword from my hand and my cape from my body. My limbs might be the next thing to go. I feel unbreakable forces tearing at everything, almost eating me away. Not to mention its incredibly difficult to breath. A shock runs up my arm as I feel the WEL almost slip off my wrist. The tremors of demon energy stabbing my body don't stop, and I feel everything slip away.

I wake sitting in a chair but I do not open my eyes. I feel that my hands are tied to the arms of the seat, and my legs are tied together. And I also unfortunately still feel WEL pressing against my wrist. I listen for a sign of anything, any useful information. I hear nothing at first.

Then a female voice speaks. "The fire apparition is awake."

"Terrific! Now we can finally start," says another deep voice.

My eyes flutter open as someone puts their hand under my chin. The wind demon is looking directly at me, very close to my face. "Aw Hiei. I almost feel sorry for what we're about to do. You're a very good fighter. A strong demon. It's a shame that we have to do this."

The WEL drained all my energy in the tornado, both demon and physical, so I don't- _can't_ \- respond.

"Koji, step away from him so that I can talk to him directly," says the same deep voice from before.

As the fool backs away, I can see more of my surroundings. The rocky ceiling stretches up extremely high, and the only thing lighting the room are small torches on the wall. There are crates stacked in random places, along with some weapons and targets, and a map of some places I can't really make out. The air is moist, and I can sense no natural sunlight. I assume we're in a cave of some sort, though I remember nothing of coming here. The ground is surprisingly smoothed over though, only with stalagmites jutting out on the very edge where the floor meets the wall. On the ceiling, there are odd light blue lights hanging down on the stalactites, almost like stars.

There are a team of demons at the end of the cave, and a grand throne sits in the middle of them all. A shorter demon is on it, cross-legged, watching me closely. He doesn't have any odd inhumane features: blonde hair, light blue eyes, tan skin. He wears a simple gray shirt and pants, and looks well-built. On his arms and part of his neck, many indigo tattoo lines are visible, not forming any particular pattern or shape. I can sense from the smug look on his face that he's their leader, cockily sitting over them all.

The others, including that wind demon, are positioned around him dramatically. "Hello, Hiei. How have to been? We were getting a little impatient. Mrs. Hikari has already woken up. She was rather difficult to take here, she kept screaming and struggling. Not anything that we couldn't deal with though. And you probably noticed that surge of demon energy earlier, before we took you here while you were still in the city with the girl? That was just one of my teammates being foolish. "

Suddenly, I sense a struggle to my left. I turn my head to be looking straight into those intense blue eyes that are somewhat teary. She's tied up a lot more than me, but probably because she wasn't weakened and drained by an immense amount of demon energy from the WEL. There's tape over her mouth and there are ropes wrapped around her torso. Our chairs are actually tied together, with our arms touching and our wrists facing up (mine with the WEL attached). She keeps trying to talk to me but I can only catch a few muffled words. I just stare at her, unable to think of what to say. She must be completely confused and shocked that she's meeting me again, and wondering who these other people are that kidnapped her. I can feel her immense amount of demon energy now, almost like its whole entity is pressing against me. I was definitely right: it only reveals itself in desperate situations.

I look back at the demons glaring. "Just let the girl go. She's just a regular human. I don't even know who that is."

The demon on the throne laughed. "Don't be ridiculous, Hiei. We know exactly who that girl is. I hear you're a merciless, ruthless killer. You wouldn't tell us to let some random human go that you 'don't know'. That just proves that she's the right one even further."

I scowl at him. At least I tried. "What do you want from us? If you wanted to kill us, you would've done so already, so what is it?"

"Where to begin?" he stands up and walks in front of me. "Hiei, you already met Koji," he waves at me from behind this other fool. I glare deeply at the wind demon. "This is Michi, Sadao, Tsuneo, and Katsu. And I am their leader, Daichi. Now, we can't exactly reveal why we're about to do this, for it will give too much away. However, I can assure you that it may be a bit painful, and it can take a few days for you two to adjust."

"What're you talking about, you fool?" I sense the girl still struggling to get away somehow, but my eyes stay locked on Daichi's.

"I'm getting to that! You really are excited to leave us, aren't you? You see, I am a Binding-Curse demon, and one of my abilities allow me to create links or bonds or whatever you'd like to call it, between two people using their spirit energy, their blood, their life force, or their demon energy. Now, it can get a little complex because I can use different techniques on multiple people and bind them physically or mentally or even emotionally. Anyways, the bonds can have different effects based off of what kind of bond it is and the people themselves."

It's silent for a moment and I turn my head towards the girl to find her staring at me, eyes wide. Is he planning on...? "No way in hell," I say.

He laughs at me. "Oh, well, there's not much you can do about that."

That is my cue to start an attempt to get out. I still find myself excessively weakened by the fight from earlier. I twist my leg up, trying to free at least my feet from the ropes. Whatever this demon is planning on doing is not good. No matter how hard I try, I'm unable to do anything productive except make my muscles ache.

He steps in front of the both of us, inches away. Maybe if he gets close enough, I can injure him somehow...

"Now, for the specific binding that I'll be performing, it requires a little of your blood to be able to fully work," he takes out a small knife and the girl really starts struggling now. "Don't worry, this won't hurt. It's just a little cut."

Her fingers are closed tightly, and I decide to do the same, although it probably won't have that much considering how weak I am currently. Daichi goes for the girl first, as she shakes and squirms in her seat. He actually stuggles against her strength for a moment, which is almost humorous, but then he simply bends her fingers away from her palm, leaving it exposed. The demon drags the knife across her skin. She yelps at first, and keeps fidgetting, but it can't hurt that bad even for someone with such little pain tolerance. A few seconds later, a large _X_ is carved into her palm, dripping with blood. She groans once more as the droplets run down the sides of her hand, already forming a puddle on the ground.

His idiotic team of clowns crowd around him to watch him cut me next, as I glare at him intensely. The wind demon is closest to me, only inches away from the chair. I ignore them all and only focus on this fool. I make one last attempt to pull my left arm away, but the ropes are just too tight. I can slowly feel my energy returning, it's just that I'm too weak and exhausted to do anything, however annoyed I am to admit that to myself.

He eventually got my hand opened after a few minutes of struggling. I mean, it wasn't really accomplishing anything specific, but I still felt better seeing his attempts. He quickly cut into my hand, having to hold my fingers back far to keep me from ripping his off. I don't even flinch. Soon enough, my blood is joining the girl's on the ground.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" He wipes our blood off of the knife and slips in back into his pocket. "Just one last step."

He snaps his fingers, and one of the demons brings him a small jar with a paint brush. At a speed I know that the girl can't possibly see, he starts to draw elaborate lines and designs over both of our forearms using our blood and some weird black substance as ink, in a pattern that only he probably knows the exact purpose of. Within 15 seconds, he created a complex masterpiece of lines and shapes across both of our arms in a dark red. I can feel it already drying on my skin, and where the lines were it felt a little tingly. "This is called the Blood-Binding Curse, which is a very uncommon technique used by demons like me, and it involves both your blood and your demon energy linking you two together. I would try to explain what's going to happen, but you'll see yourselves soon enough."

Suddenly, there is a deep lurch in my stomach and my head begins to pound almost painfully. I can tell the girl is experiencing the same thing because I hear a muffled gasp and her head hangs foreward, as if she is passed out. I can almost hear her heart beating, which is odd because she's supposed to be a demon. I push aside the unimportant thought.

"Now we just have to wait until it sets in, and then we can let them go," the leader says to the other demons. They all walk away except that fool, Koji. "And how long will that take Daichi?" He asks.

"Who knows? Could take minutes, maybe even hours. We'll just have to wait and see. After all, this type of bond hasn't been done that often," he sits back down on his thrown.

The wind demon kneels down and keeps trying to talk to me, but I ignore him easily. Even if I wanted to listen, I probably wouldn't be able to. My ears have started ringing, and my head is pounding almost in the back of my brain. I can feel the blood in my forearm start to boil hot, which is an odd occurrence for me because of my pain tolerance _and_ my resistance to extreme heat or cold. It slowly travels up my arm, across my chest, and soon through my whole body. When it reaches my head, an intense jolt causes me to jump slightly. The girl does the same. I catch her eye, and she looks desperately at me. I can tell she must be in pain.

"We're going to get out of here," I whisper to her. I think I hear her say 'okay' but I can tell from the look on her face that she knows the damage has already been done. Whatever that demon did doesn't seem like it can be reversed too easily. And it means that we're... Bound together? In what way, I do not know.

"Aww, Hiei to the recue again! You just love to save this damsel, don't you?" The wind demon says obnoxiously. My head snaps over at him. "You nearly defeated Issei when he tried to kill her not too long ago, even though we were only ordered to bring you and her here alive. The boss was so angry at him, he punished him even further and gave him a completely different mission! Anyways, you and the Urameshi gang got involved with all this because of that Spirit world toddler, Koenma, right? I assume he and his father knew the Hikari's-"

"It's none of your concern, you fool! Stop blabbing your mouth like an idiot," I interrupt him. It takes all my effort to keep my head up to look at him, as I feel what is left of my energy being drained.

"Sorry, just trying to start conversation," he holds up his hands defensively.

"Yes, with the enemy, how terrific," I spit at him. He shrugs and joins the other demons across the room. As soon as he looks away, my shoulders slump and I take a deep breath. The pressure on my head increased from talking, and is only now growing more and more intense. It's feels almost as if some force is pressing against my skull, trying to plant it's way into my brain. It's almost unbearable.

The girl is having a worse time coping with it than me. She's slightly shaking, and she keeps grumbling and groaning under her breath. Her heart beat is so loud in my ear, though it feels like it's coming from the inside of my head. The girl is breathing rather heavily through her nose, and I can see the sweat lining her brow. Apart from the shaking, her body is twitching excessively. A few tears are running down her face, causing a flare of anger inside me. _What are these fools doing?_ I think. _It's literally accomplishing nothing to put us both through this so that we're... Linked? Whatever that means. I just can't see what that's going to accomplish for them._

Then it hits me. A loud crack rings in my ears, which I somehow know that just _I_ can hear, and my brain feels like it's going to explode. I feel emotions, thoughts, pictures, some memories, all what feels to be a person's life force fills my mind all at once, so fast that I'm unable to completely process it. It feels like hours pass in a few seconds, just with the feeling of my head about to implode in on itself. It's almost too much to take in. It _is_ too much to take in. Once again, I feel my numb brain slip into unconsciousness.

Just imaging the worse migraine you've ever had in your entire life, except one million times worse, and if someone were to boil the blood beneath your skin. That's how painful the "bond" was that that demon guy put on me and (surprise! He actually exists) the same guy who saved me about two weeks ago, Hiei.

I honestly don't know what this bond is supposed to do, but the pain in the back of my brain hurts like a bitch. I remember blacking out a few times from it, but I know it was only for a few seconds. On the other hand, Hiei passed out within a few minutes of the other dude doing the painting crap on our arms. Whatever they did to him before bringing us both here was a lot worse than what they did to me because he seems to be completely drained and unable to even function at all. I can already tell from the cut on my hand that we both bled out a lot. It will probably need stitches, and scar in the future.

Which actually sucks because guess who has to walk themselves and a demon home after being dumped in the middle of some forrest on the outskirts of the city with some type of cape and a sword?

I'm supporting him with his arm over my shoulder, and my arms wrapped around his waist, practically dragging him around. The sword is wrapped up in the cape, which is tucked carefully under my arm. I full out collapse a few times before I finally reach the edge of civilization.

I immediately see a phone booth, and stumble over to it. I call a cab, incapable of thinking of what else I can possibly do. I don't think I can call the police in a situation like this. "Excuse me officer, I'd like to report a kidnapping. You see, this demon tied me and this guy that I don't really know up and used our blood to do some magical bond that I'm still not sure what it's actually supposed to do. And then he just let us go." I can already hear the echo of their laughter.

It arrives in a few minutes, and I barely remember the drive to my house. The cab driver doesn't seem to really care that I'm carrying an unconscious person with blood all over my hands. Which I'm not exactly _un_ thankful for his ignorance.

I rush into the house as fast as I can while carrying another person, unlocking the door. Luckily, my key was still in my pocket.

I lay him down on the couch gently, throwing the cape and sword onto the floor. I sprint into the bathroom for some medical supplies and quickly bandage my hand as best I can. No matter how hard I scrub with soap and a wash cloth, the paint refuses to even fade a bit.

Then I go to Hiei. I examine his left hand carefully. His skin is burning hot, and it tingles when I touch the paint lines over his forearm. I clean up his hand too, and bandage it like mine. It doesn't seem to be bleeding anymore so maybe we won't need stitches after all.

I wipe his face and arms from any dirt or blood gently. I don't want to wake him if he really needs to rest. There's actually a wrap over his other arm, and I don't touch it in fear that it's another wound that I'll disturb.

 _What... Now?_ I think. I pull and tie my hair up out of my face, and go into the bathroom again, this time to look into the medicine cabinet. I take a painkiller just to get rid of my fever and intense headache and everything else that hurts.

I kneel next to him on the couch leaning over his upper body, and just stare. I can't really think of a way to give him the pills without choking him, so I just open his mouth and pour some water in, and also put a cold damp towel on his forehead. I close his lips, and I think I see him swallow. Then, I reposition him into a more comfortable spot with a pillow under his head, and brush the hair it of his face.

I let out a sigh. Okay. He seems to be breathing, and in a stable consition. He is probably just drained from fighting those guys or whatever. All of a sudden, my eyes start drooping uncontrollably. I didn't really realize how drained _I_ am until now. I fall alseep right there on the floor, my head plopping down on the couch.

I wake to someone gently shaking me and calling my name. "Mayumi," I hear a firm voice. "Hey, girl, wake up. Mayumi."

My eyes open slowly, but I feel almost incapable of lifting my head. Hiei is looking down at me sideways, slightly sitting up. It takes me a few moments to realize that I've actually been asleep on his chest the whole time. I sit up, a little embarrassed.

I rub the sleep out of my eyes and sit there on the floor as he just looks at me. I can't even think of what to say. Everything that happened was absolutely... Crazy. I look down at my arm, tracing the lines with my eyes.

I jump when I become completely aware of this _presence_ in the back of my head. It felt so natural and quiet that I almost overlooked it. But now that I was paying attention to it, it presses so prominently against my thoughts that seems to be alive, almost breathing.

"Hiei," he looks directly into my eyes. "You have to take me to your friends."


	6. Chapter 6: A Morning Meeting

"Hn," is all he says.

Pft. Whatever that means, I think as I stand up.

Suddenly, there's a small fidgeting in the back of my mind, almost like the feeling you get when someone's watching you. But it's just me and Hiei.

Can it be... The bond?

I catch his eye, and he seems to be thinking the same thing. The thing in the back of my mind, it's so hostile, so foreign to me. I've never experienced anything like it. It's... Terrifying.

I subconsciously nudge it, looking into this extension of my brain. I want to explore his mind before I decide whether or not its bad. What greets me is an explosion of thoughts and emotions, too crazy to process. Then the thing seems to lay to rest at last, almost connecting to my mind's eye. The previous pounding in my head subsidies noticeably, almost as if what I just did got rid of it.

But no. It is still there. He's still there. I can still feel his presence mentally. Almost like he's latched onto me. Well, my mind, that is. Let's just say it proves rather difficult to try to explain how this bond thingy is actually affecting me.

"Umm, hello?" I think, making sure to push my words towards the thing.

Hiei suddenly snaps his head over at me. "Did you just say something?"

"Umm, technically no?"

"Don't lie! I heard you say something!"

"Hiei, I haven't said anything outloud at all. Neither have you!"

He stops short as he realizes that he was just talking to me through my mind the whole time. Telepathy. Didn't think that was possible.

Then again, with everything crazy that's been going on... I mean, at this point anything is possible.

I finally decide to say something outloud. "How is this happening?"

"I have no idea. But we need to get rid of the fool's doodling as soon as possible. C'mon, we are going straight to that old hag's," Hiei quickly stands up, and pulls me along. But as he grabs under my elbow, a tingly pain runs up my fingers to my chest. I yelp and immediately pull my arm away. He doesn't seem to think it hurt, but he definitely felt it too because he's looking at his hand almost confused.

What the hell is going on? I think, not sure if he can hear me or not.

He just looks at me, his face blank, but his eyes looking so helpless that I feel bad for him. At every past encounter with him, he seemed so powerful, so in-control and calm, and very hard to read, emotion wise. But now, his eyes appear to be showing all of the worry and confusion and anger and hopelessness that the past few hours has brought upon him. Seeing Hiei like this is almost disorienting, and that's coming from a person who doesn't even know him that well. It makes me feel ten times as worried.

What if we don't ever get the bond off?

And doesn't this mean that everything that happened two weeks ago was... True? All of it about the demons and the prophecy and my father?

Does this mean that I'm a demon?

My brain floods with question after question, unable to fully process anything.

"Cut it out, you fool! You're giving me a head ache. All of our question will be answered as soon as we go to Genkai's house," he glares at me.

"Fine," I say. "Let's leave now." I slip on some shoes and a jacket while Hiei gathers his things.

I hope it's still in here... His thoughts echo across the bond. I try to ignore it as I wait by the door. He pulls a circular item out of one of the cloak pockets. He sheaths his sword, drapes the cloak over his body, and steps over to join me. He flips the device open and it has a screen on it.

"It's a communication device. My allies and I use it when we are far away from each other and need contacting," he notices my curiosity.

"That's cool, and you can see them on the screen? Wow. It's like a face phonecall," I laugh once at the crazy thought. That technology is a little advanced for now. We walk out the door and I lock it behind us.

"Hn."

There he goes with that again. I still have no idea what he means by that. Wait! Maybe with the bond, I can...

"Don't even think about it, fool," he spits at me. I open my mouth to respond, but can't think of anything to say. I just wanted to see what this complicated guy actually means by hn. Whatever. I scoff at him as he flips open the communicator.

He presses a few of the buttons, and the screen goes fuzzy for a second until I'm staring into Botan's face. "Hiei! What's wrong? You're still supposed to be watching Su-oh," she looks right at me, already worried.

"Yes, we ran into some trouble. We must meet up at the old hag's place to discuss it," he says simply. Way to make is sound like not a big deal.

"What happened?" I recognize the guy Koenma's voice from somewhere behind Botan on the screen.

"We'll explain then like I said toddler!" Hiei snaps. My eyes grow wide at his nerve. I might not know a lot about any of this, but I do think it's obvious that you shouldn't disrespect anyone with the ranking of a Prince! I look at Hiei in awe.

Koenma appears above Botan's shoulder with his hands raised defensively. "You don't have to get all rude about it, I was just asking."

Hiei responds with a pft.

"Okay Hiei, no need to be pushy! I'll call everyone and we'll meet there as soon as possible. Just be careful on your way here," Botan bit her lip.

"And don't give me sass, Hiei. I am your superior whether you like it or not. Might I remind you of this?" Koenma holds up something that looks like a tv remote. Whatever it is or does makes Hiei tense up and glare at Koenma, who smirks.

"Whatever, toddler," Hiei slams the communicator shut angrily, and starts to walk forward at an incredible speed. I'm almost jogging to keep up.

"What was that thing that he had? The thing that you were afraid of?" I ask him after a few minutes, strugglig to keep up. It is still dark out, no sign of the sun. The streets are completely empty, not even cars in the streets. I know as we get deeper into the city, there'll be more people, but I enjoy the quiet for now. Only a few hours have passed since I was trying to go to the store before I got kidnapped, so it'll be dark for a little bit longer.

"I'm not afraid of it or him. I can crush that toddler like a bug."

"Okay tough guy, that still doesn't answer my question," I inquire.

He sighs loudly, and takes a minute to respond. "He's using it to manipulate me into helping him."

"By doing what?" I ask curiously. I can't really think of anything that can manipulate someone like him.

"It's none of your business, actually," he says flatly.

I was just making conversation, jeez, I think, making sure to keep the thoughts far away from the link in my head. There's no way of telling if he heard me through the bond or not, because he doesn't respond.

I don't try small talk with him the rest of the way. Which is a long time. Since he doesn't really have the energy to just carry me over the buildings, we take the night bus instead to the other side of town.

We eventually find a path that cuts straight through the woods next to the road after a bus ride and walking for what felt like hours. There, waiting, is an extremely tall guy with cherry red hair. Kurama, I believe to be his name.

"Hello, fox," Hiei says. I can feel his comfort and relief through the bond. Can Hiei actually enjoy someone's company? And I'm not even going to ask why Hiei just called him a fox...

"Hello, Hiei. Sun, nice to see you again. And so soon, too." Kurama smiles at me charmingly. "Are you two alright? Any injuries? Or have you just decided to finally train with us?"

"Not really..." I say. Hiei avoids me eyes. "We were like. Kidnapped."

"Hm, I see. I assumed it was something of the sort, Botan made it sound very urgent. I was almost hesitant to come this late at night, but I reconsidered after hearing her tone."

"Why, don't want to have to sneak away from that loving mother of yours? Enough with this small talk. We have to get moving," Hiei actually sounds like he's joking at first, but almost instantly fades back into his normal tone. Kurama's lips curl up ever so slightly.

"It is a bit of a far walk though. And neither of you look in the right state to go running through the woods right now. So maybe we should wait to see who else arrives. That way we can all walk to Genkai's together," he suggests. I nod in agreement, and sit down on a nearby bench. I look behind me into the woods, deciding that it probably is a longer walk than what I'm up for at the moment.

Hiei grumbles under his breath, and annoyance seems to radiate off of him, but he doesn't resist Kurama's suggestion. He trails off a little bit away, leaving me and Kurama alone. I ignore the pulsing anger coming from the bond, and try to block out the harsh words from Hiei's thoughts (not really succeeding). Kurama sits right next to me, yawning.

"I'm sorry," I burst out.

"Why are you sorry?" he looks over at me, surprised.

"Because I feel like this is all my fault," my throat burns as shame and sadness wash through me. "All of this. The demons coming after all of these innocent people. You guys having to worry about taking care of me. I should've listened when you told me about all this! I mean, it sounded crazy at the time but... it's true though, isn't it? I realize that now. This proves it. And now since I wouldn't listen, Hiei and I are..." I look over in his direction. He's standing over by the treeline looking over at where the sky is getting lighter and lighter. Kurama seems to be listening intently. "And you all have to get up before dawn just so we can tell you what happened. Which, it wouldn't have happened if I'd just listened in the first place. I just feel like an idiot."

I put my head in my hands and sigh deeply. I slightly jump when I feel a hand on my back. "Mayumi-Sun, I know it may be a bit overwhelming," He says slowly. "But thats understandable because it is a lot of new information for you to process. Hah! If I hadn't known about all of this for as long as I have, I probably would think it was all farcical as well! It's not your fault at all. It's not anyone's. What matters is that you and Hiei are alright. So don't get too distressed over it."

I look directly into Kurama's eyes, only wanting to cry more. This guy barely knows me, yet he's so willing to comfort me, acting like he's been my friend for years. Feeling very thankful, I smile at him slightly. He is a lot nicer than Hiei, anyways.

"Kurama, do you think-," I start but am interrupted by an obnoxious and loud voice to my direct left, causing me to jump almost a mile into the air.

"Hey fox-face, what did you say to this chick that makes her look like she's about to burst into tears?" Yusuke chuckles.

"Yeah, I thought you were supposed to be good with the ladies," Says the ginger behind him, nudging Yusuke. I actually feel a little bad that I can't remember his name.

"Kuwabara, Yusuke, finally decided to show up?" I feel Kurama's hand slide off my back. I look over, but I can't really read his expression. Kurama sounded like he was joking, but he seems to be as hard to analyze as Hiei.

Speaking of, he apparently noticed the pair arrive, and is already standing next to them, ready to go.

"So why do we have to be here so early in the morning again?" Yusuke faces Hiei.

"We're all missing out on our beauty sleep here. And some of us need it more than others," Kuwabara (thanks for the reminder, Kurama) points his thumb over at Yusuke, who punches him on the arm. I smile slightly.

"It's none of my concern whether or not you lose sleep over this, but this idiot got herself into some trouble," it takes me a second to realize that Hiei is talking about me. I feel impatience and annoyance well up inside me, only to realize that most of it isn't mine. It appears to be omitting from the bond. I guess I'd been ignoring the bong beforehand, but the emotions are almost overpowering. I glare at him, cheeks flushing.

"Well I'm sorry I couldn't fight back against three people- or demons, that were chasing after me. Weren't you supposed to be watching over me, anyways?" I spit back at him. I'd felt sorry for him before, but he's starting to get on my nerves.

There's a stirring in the back of my mind, and I try to listen to his thoughts again.

Three demons were after her? And they only sent one against me? What's their game? Do they know something I don't? Does she?

But, he notices my (internal) presence, glares at me, and his mind goes blank. He must do a lot of meditation if he could do that so quickly.

"Okay then, not to break this awkward moment for you guys, but we should get going," Yusuke laughs. "It'll take a little bit to actually get there."

"Yes, I agree. Shall we then?" Kurama stands up beside me, offering a hand. I except, avoiding his eyes and follow Hiei, who has already started off. I hear a few whispers behind me, but I decide not to pry. Doing that has only gotten me into trouble recently. Soon enough, I hear their footsteps behind me too.

Exhaustion filled me along the whole trip and by the third hour, we were taking breaks every ten minutes because I absolutely couldn't go on. None of them seemed fatigued in any way, so I felt a little bad slowing them down. Kurama sort of blew it off sympathetically, but Yusuke, however, gave me the excuse of not having as much physical ability as them because of my lack of training. I didn't find that very reassuring.

Eventually though, we did arrive at the woman, Genkai's house. Here to meet us are Botan, Koenma, and Genkai herself.

"Hey, old hag, how've you been?" Yusuke waves at her. My eyes widen at his audacity.

"You idiot, I just saw you last week," she says in a sharp tone that makes me anxious.

"I know that! But what, I can't ask my ol' master how she's doing?" He makes a puppy dog face at her, which she chooses to ignore.

Koenma goes right into business. "So you two: what happened?"

Hiei makes eye contact with me since we started walking here. His thoughts are buzzing around my head, but I choose not to look into it as to not upset him.

"The girl got herself kidnapped by a group that calls themselves Team Daichi," Hiei finally says, looking away from me.

"Kidnapped?!" Botan exclaims.

"Well, she's obviously fine, Botan. Otherwise I don't think she would be here," Yusuke points out.

"How did that happen if you were supposed to be watching her, Hiei?" Koenma interrogates him. Although it wasn't a rhetorical question, he doesn't respond.

"It wasn't his fault. There were a lot of them," they look over at me, almost surprised that I am willing to defend him. "I was out shopping alone at dusk. I mean, there was nothing I could do once they actually caught me. And I don't think he could've done much against any of them. They seemed... Powerful, I guess."

No one says anything back.

Kurama breaks the silence after a minute. "Did you two escape, or were you let go?"

I hesitate. "They let us go."

"Would it happen to do with that?" Kurama points at the intricate marks on my arm. I nod. I feel Hiei's intense gaze on me, but I refuse to look his way.

"May I?" Kurama asks politely. I nod again, and he holds my forearm up slightly. "Hiei, come here."

He obliges most begrudgingly, standing next to me. Kurama holds both of our wrists so that they're right against each other. I feel a slight tingle, like before, at the touch of Hiei's skin, but I was expecting it, so there was less of an effect.

Meanwhile Kurama's mind seems to be working a million miles a minute, his eyes grazing the surface of our skin.

"You guys got matching tattoos?" Yusuke asks over Kurama's shoulder.

"Pft," Hiei says. "As if I'd ever do such a foolish thing. This fool bound us together with it."

"What do you mean, bound you together?" Botan asks.

"He was a Binding-Curse demon," Hiei looks at Kurama knowingly. "Much like the one you fought during the Dark Tournament. Except he seemed to know some different techniques that I've never even heard of. He linked us together using our blood, and some strange paint substance. Our minds are now... Connected."

I feel my cheeks flush for no apparent reason. They all look at me, almost sympathetically. I mean, it's not that bad. They can fix it, right?

Hn. You'd better hope they can, Hiei thinks through the bond.

Kurama looks startled for a second, and drops my hand. "Kurama?" Hiei says, confused also.

"Hm? Oh, I just- it was nothing. I just thought I felt-" He says quickly, flustered. "Nothing."

Koenma ignores him, and talks directly to me. "Did it hurt at all?"

"Uhh," I grid my teeth at the memory. "Yeah, a little."

"So, what're we gonna do about it?" Asks Kuwabara. Dead silence. Fear creeps into my gut.

Is it possible that I-we- will be stuck like this forever?

I look over at the guy I'm bonded to, heart beating fast. He just stares blankly back, but I feel his anger through the bond.

"We can try to scrub it off," suggests Yusuke. Genkai glares at him, her expression daring him to say another stupid thing.

"I would have to look into it more to see what we can do," Kurama says, finally out of his funk.

"Yes, we don't want to do anything that puts either of you in danger," Koenma agrees. "We have to see how this link works and such before we start poking around. I've never even seen anything like this before."

"Did they tell you why they did it?" Botan asks us.

"No," Hiei says bluntly.

"They said if they told us, it would give too much away," I elaborate.

"Kurama, can you think of any logical reason why they would do this and just let them go?" Koenma asks him.

He thinks for a minute, his eyebrows pulled together in thought. "I can't exactly think of many reasons except that it may weaken both of them. Or it has some other effect that hasn't been revealed yet."

"Or maybe it'll weaken Hiei for being bound to a human," Yusuke adds.

"She's not a human, though," Botan says. "And why would they just want to weaken him?"

"Yusuke has a point though. She has been living as a human the past sixteen years, so that will weigh him down from the power that he had before. As for why they just want to weaken him..." Kurama trails off.

"Maybe he's their biggest threat," I suggest. "And it might not even be to physically weaken him. If we're both bound together mentally, don't you think that would limit our whole 'minds eye' and stuff?"

"Or even to limit your life energy," Kurama says quietly. Whatever that means. They seem a bit taken aback by that though.

"You know, what I think is that these two need a good nights sleep. They've been through a lot the past few hours. They should really rest," Botan grabs me by the hand and starts to lead me away, but I resist.

"Wait, you guys aren't even going to try to get this off of us?" I push her hands away.

They all seem a little uncomfortable. "Well," says Koenma slowly. "Like we said before, there's not much we can do with such little information on this."

"How do you need information to take off some damn paint?" Hiei spits at him. I'm slightly relieved that he's helping me out.

"Oh calm down, you imbecile. Can't you take a hint? They aren't going to do anything right now. I agree with Botan that you should get some rest." Genkai says fearlessly. I feel myself respecting her for being able to talk back to the fearsome demon.

Hiei, looking appalled, catches my eye. For some reason, he glares at me, and storms out of the room. I feel my feet following him before I can stop myself.

"Wait, Sun-" Kurama says after me, but ignore him.

"Hiei," I call out to him once I get outside. His back is to me, few feet ahead. "Where're you going?"

"Away from them," he snarles. "They're all useless. Can't do anything right."

"Oh," I whisper back. "May I join you?"

He thinks this over, annoyance filling the bond. "I don't care, you fool."

"Thank you," I say, sighing. I catch up to him, and we walk for a few minutes through the thicket. The sounds of the forest surrounds me, almost comfortingly.

Hiei eventually hops up in a tree with ease, and lays back on one of its branches. I sit at the bottom of that tree in the shade, almost wanting to go back so I can sleep in a bed.

But before I can do anything else, I pass out from exhaustion right up against the base of the tree.


	7. Chapter 7: Training

Kurama wakes me up from what felt like a two minute nap. My back is leaning up against the tree still, but Hiei's cape thing is now draped across my body. Kurama is crouching next to my side, looking at me with concern.

"Are you all right, Sun?" he asks me. I yawn quietly, stretching.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I sit up a bit and the cape falls to my legs. "Why?"

"You just looked like you were having some sort of bad dream," I stand up next to him, straightening my clothes. They're filthy with spots of dirt and blood scattered all over. My hair and face probably don't look too good either. I wish I could take a shower. I rub the sleep out of my eyes, partly covering my flushed cheeks.

"Nahh, I don't remember having a bad dream," I lie. Kurama looks like he doesn't believe me, but he gives no comment.

"If you're going to lie, you should learn to block out the truth from your thoughts more efficiently," Hiei drops down next to Kurama gracefully. What a little sneak.

"I'm not lying. It was just a weird dream," I glare at him. "And since you're the only one who can read my mind, that doesn't really matter, anyways. If you're going to snoop on conversations, you should learn to stop confronting the people afterwards."

He narrows his eyes at me. "Pft, you two weren't talking about anything interesting."

"That was very nice of you to give her your cassock. It got a little chilly this afternoon," Kurama changes the subject. I glance at Kurama to find him looking at Hiei with an odd expression that I can't read. Hiei looks completely appalled, anger filling my open brain through the bond.

"It is _not_ a cassock. And I didn't give it to her for warmth. I thought it might shut her murmuring up if she were covered by something. I was actually thinking about suffocating her with it at one point," he says matter-of-factly, as if I weren't here.

"I don't talk in my sleep," I say defensively. I feel annoyance pulsating through the bond.

"No, it was more like whimpering," Hiei spits at me.

I feel my cheeks burn. My dream wasn't _that_ bad. I feel Hiei try to reach out through the bond to interrogate me, and I struggle to ignore him, pushing the images of my dream out of my head.

After an awkward silence, Kurama says, "Let's get going. We have to get back to Genkai's, and decide what to do next."

"How long were we asleep?" I ask.

"A few hours, it's nearing the evening...Genkai and Koenma were discussing what you're going to do for training while you two were away," he says, starting to walk back the way we came before. I follow reluctantly. Training? _How am I supposed to train when it feels like I barely got any sleep?_

 _That makes two of us_ , Hiei says through the bond.

 _Get out of my head!_ I say back.

 _Pft. Show me how, and I'll happily oblige_ , he says finally and then pulls away. I can't really tell how he's feeling from the bond, but he's not happy at all. I ignore the thoughts drifting from his head through the bond.

We make it back in a few minutes, and Kurama leads us to the living room. When no one meets us there, Kurama says that he thinks I should eat something before we find the others, who are in a different part of the house

My appetite is gone at this point from the thought of this so called "training", but I manage to eat an apple and a small boxed lunch. I knew if I was going to be moving around and such, I would need some energy. Hiei ate nothing, saying he didn't need this "petty human food", though I swear I heard his stomach growl at some point. I wonder what Hiei does eat, if he's telling the truth about not eating human food.

On our way to find Genkai and the rest, Yukina greets us in one of the halls.

"Hello, you all," Yukina smiles brightly at us. I can't help returning the gesture. "How are you doing?"

"All right enough," Hiei says first, surprising me. "It's annoying being bonded to this fool. However, I know it'll all work out in the end where our minds are no longer connected, the way it should be."

I'm slightly offended, but then again, I don't want to be bonded to him either...

Yukina simply replies, "It's good that you're being positive, Mr. Hiei."

Kurama snorts, and then quickly covers it up with a cough. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, curious for his out-of-character behavior. There's a twinkle in his eye as they meet mine. We both turn away, hiding smiles.

I know Hiei noticed because anger flared through the bond, but he kept his eyes on Yukina.

His anger recedes slightly as images of Yukina float into my mind through the bond. She is very beautiful. _Hm, it looks like Hiei has a crush_ , I think, making sure to keep my thoughts far away from the bond. _Hah! Who knew it would be on the one girl that's completely out of his league_.

Hiei shoots a look at me, appearing very confused. Oh crap, I hope he didn't hear my thoughts. I avoid his gaze casually.

Yukina didn't seem to take notice of any of the things that passed between the three of us the past few seconds, which I am grateful for. "Well, I'll see you all later. Have a lovely day, Mrs. Hikari. " the small girl bows at me, and disappears down the hall.

Hiei continues forward as if nothing happened, almost rushing ahead of us. Probably to avoid us.

I take the opportunity. Kurama is already walking forward a bit, so I reach out for his arm to stop him. "Hey, Kurama-"

He jumps a little bit as I latch on to his hand. He turns to face me, but his face is contorted in a way I can't read. "Kurama?"

"Wha- oh. Y-yes?" He shakes my hand off. I feel my cheeks flush, embarrassed and slightly... hurt. I don't think he meant anything by it, but it's just a little weird that he would shove me off when he was so willing to comfort me just yesterday.

"Umm, yeah I-uhh," I sutter, feeling awkward to even ask about it. "What was that all about-between Hiei and Yukina? I thought that that other guy, Kuwabara and her are like... A thing?"

Kurama suddenly looks amused. "Yes Kuwabara loves Yukina very much. So I'd say they are a 'thing'."

"Okay... But what about Hiei?" I ask, curiously. A love triangle maybe?

He just laughs. "Don't look so worried. It's a lengthy, complicated story, but it's not what you're thinking. You're surprised because he doesn't really act like that around other people, right?"

I nod. Then I fully process his words. "Wha-worried? No- it's just- I was only wondering. It's not-"

"You get unsettled so easily," he cuts me off, still smiling. "C'mon, before the demon starts to wonder where we are."

Before I can ask any more questions, he's already halfway down the hallway. I shake my head slightly to clear my thoughts. Okay then...

I follow the way he went, and catch up to them both. Soon enough, we find the rest of the gang through a pair of sliding doors. They're in a rectangular room that has light walls and white tile flooring with some blue mats on it. There are some tables and pillows placed randomly around. The giant windows on the far wall reveal the sun that looks like it'll set in a few hours time.

"Took you long enough," Yusuke pretends to sound angry, but he's smiling charmingly at me. I try to grin back, but all that comes out is a grimace.

None of us respond, so Genkai and Koenma call over Hiei and I.

I sit cross-legged in front of them, and Hiei does the same.

"So," Koenma says with a sigh. "Obviously, we've decided to start your training immediately."

 _Obviously, without my consent_ , I think. Hiei doesn't comment.

"Genkai, along with whoever here that is able to help, will teach you how to control your demon energy and use it correctly. This process can take long depending upon how you reciprocate our efforts. So as long as you keep trying, no matter what, I believe that you will become very powerful. However you must take caution: with great power, comes great responsibility, as said by many people before me. And it will be a feat to get there, for Genkai will stretch you to your limits to see what powers you possess, and what you're physically and emotionally ready for, and capable of. You see, Mayumi, because of the prophecy, you have to be ready to risk your life for the survival of the three worlds, and mankind. You're very important, believe it or not. Do you understand?"

I swallow, heart pounding, stomach twisting into knots. I glance over at Hiei, who looks as if watching paint dry would be more interesting than this, and take a breathe. _If all this is real, then I guess I have to do whatever they need me to do. Because it's my duty. Or whatever_ , I think.

"Yes," I say steadily. "I think I do now."

"Good," he gave me a grave smile. "Now Genkai, tell her of your plans."

"Well, if you should know," Genkai's sharp tone makes me flinch. "I plan to train with you every day, beginning with a new concept or tactic each week. You can stay up here so that you don't have to take the long walk every morning. I don't take any bullshit, so don't even try me. And i want your upmost effort applied to everything that we do. Or else, I'll-,"

"What do you mean, every day?" I interrupt her quietly.

She just looks at me, shocked as if I dared to cut her off. I fix my eyes on Koenma to avoid her glare.

"Well..," he shifts slightly . "You have to train every day to be able to progress quickly. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yeah, I do," I sit up straight as I feel Hiei's annoyed gaze lock onto my face. "I can't be here every day! I have a life back home! I'm in high school, and I have friends-"

"Not that many from what I've seen," Hiei mumbles, but I ignore him.

"-and I was about to start my new job! Mrs. Zhao was the one who suggested I get a job! I can't just drop everything and come to live here to train. Plus, people would ask where I am. I cannot just start living here," I say finally.

Koenma looks uncomfortable. "But don't you see? That's not your life anymore, Mayumi. Mrs. Zhao was simply watching over you during your time here in human world. You are a demon, and your place is in Makai."

I turn my head slightly and look out the window at the gorgeous scenery around Genkai's house. In the evening light, the forest sways in the breeze, casting dark shadows through the thicket. I can partially see the ocean through the tangle of mountains, all leading up to the stone steps of this magnificent house. I sigh.

Suddenly, I feel like crying. My whole life has practically been a big lie. Everything that I've ever known and people who I love? It's was all just a big cover up to keep me safe from the demons that wanted to kill me.

Hiei looks at me as if my reaction is confusing. He's trying to read my mind, but I make it go blank.

"Okay. I... I think I know this now. But I still can't just drop school and not ever see my friends again. Maybe I can come on the weekends or something?" I say desperately.

"We'll figure that all out later. I want to start your training today before dusk," Genkai says. "Now, all of you leave except the girl."

Training is more difficult than I expected. Which is a lot, considering I don't know anything about this stuff.

Genkai, who I found to be unsympathetic and stern, taught me how to concentrate my demon energy and try to lift a stone with it. Without touching it with my hands of course.

By the time the moon was out, I was drenched in sweat and the stone had only wiggled slightly off the ground for less than a second.

She seems to be pleased, however. Well. Not _pleased_. More like she is willing to let me go to sleep for the night. She says that it's a lot to have accomplished, with my demon energy being seemingly "blocked".

"I want you up at dawn tomorrow. We have to continue training until you have to head home for school tomorrow night. Koenma will figure out what we should do about keeping you in school and such. And Mayumi," she looks at me with a deep sadness in her eyes, which surprises me. "I know this may seem hard, but eventually, you'll have to move on to the next chapter of your life. And that does involve your family and demon world."

I simply nod at her, and go to leave. However, a question burns it's way into my mind causing me to turn around. "Genkai... Where's Mrs. Zhao? I assume she hasn't been on a 'business trip' this whole time."

She turns to face at me full on, looking me dead in the eye. "Your guardian is in Spirit World currently. She has been working for Koenma as a Grim Reaper for many years now. Being immortal, she's much older than she appears. At the end of her career, about 16 years ago, she was the one who offered to take care of you. That's the last thing she's decided to do until she retires for good."

I don't like the way she put "retires" into context. "Can immortal people die?"

"It's rather complicated, since they can live much longer than humans, and age slower. But they do age. It's hard to tell whether they can die like a human will from old age. Even I don't know that."

"Oh," is all I say. I change the subject from Mrs. Zhao. "Does that mean I'm immortal since I'm a demon?"

Genkai thinks for a moment. "Well, yes. However, you're still in your human form, which is why you have aged as a human the past 16 years. But when you go into demon form, there's no telling what you'll look like since you're considered young, in early adolescence as a demon. We'll have to wait and see."

Then she sends me off with question after question still buzzing in my mind. I can feel Hiei's agitation through the bond as I find the spare bedroom and collapse onto the bed.  
I wonder how old he is...

Koenma wanted me to go back to Reikai the next day. He thought it to be necessary to continue the research on Sun's ethnicity. Though we haven't had any luck on acquiring the information on who or what her mother is, he insists upon seeking out the particulars of her heritage. I, for one, though it has become a rather large annoyance, believe this to be a good idea. It may have something to do with what's obstructing her demon energy.

Sun...

I can sense the girls power and potential just from looking at her. It is all built up inside her, persistent to escape from the confines of her human form. Hiei seems not to be in agreement with me, however.

I sift through the many files and books Koenma has brought to me from the past 16 years, trying to find any valuable information that has to do with her mother. I had only found out that she came from a small subspecies clan of demons through some information about her father.

Though I didn't inform Koenma, some of the pages appeared to be missing from both the books and the files. That's why there is so little we know about Sun's mother: all of the information about her had been taken. A bad feeling had crept up from my gut, forming a lump in my throat. Telling him would only cause a worry, and there's nothing we can do about it. So, I decided to keep it to myself until further notice.

And, in further notice, I still find myself in being consumed by the complexity of the story that is unwinding before us. Turning the page of some old textbook, the odd occurrences slip into my thoughts, persistent for attention.

I sigh heavily. Botan looks up from the book she was skimming. "You all right?" she asks me politely.

"Yes," I reassure her easily. "Just slightly tired, is all."

She looks at my sympathetically. "Don't worry, Kurama. Genkai said that Mayumi did very well with her training yesterday afternoon, and says that if she progresses at that pace, she may be able to break out of her human form to release her demon energy. Then we won't have to do any of this dumb research anymore. I know you're busy with school and your mother and all," she smiles at me, then goes back to her book.

Indeed, I think. But coming to Spirit World to help do research is not the only reason I've been feeling sleep deprived.

Sun.

The demon girl has seemed to have awoken something within me that I thought to have been under control. That gold gleam in her eyes, that shock whenever I touch her skin. Though I have been able to force it down, the combating form trying to force its way back into my head has been tenacious to arise again. The only one who appears to have noticed my dilemma of Yoko Kurama wanting to control my mind again is Hiei. Curse him for knowing how to read me so well.

I fear that I do not know what's to come if this continues. Will I be able to control him? And the question that I seem to be asking the most is; what does he want with her?

I can only hope that I decipher the answer and solution soon, for I have a horrible feeling that this time when Yoko Kurama comes back, I may never see this life again.


	8. Chapter 8: I take a swim

I woke very groggily this morning to find a very eventful day ahead. When Genkai said I want you up at dawn, she meant she wanted me standing in front of her, fully dressed and breakfast eaten before the sun even got close to peaking over the summits.

Yukina was the one who kindly woke me, which I was thankful for. I couldn't help being nice to her, and if it were anyone else daring to wake me so early, they wouldn't have lived to see the sun rise. Yukina suggested that I hurry up with getting ready, otherwise Genkai will ring my neck. Or that's how I interpreted it anyways.

In the moments of panic rushing through me, I quickly slipped on the clothes that were set out for me (a soft, loose shirt and some cotton stretch pants), took a few bites out of an apple, and rushed to the room that Yukina had told me to go to.

So here I stand, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes in the doorway of a dimly lit room with no windows, only grand pillars supporting the high, curved ceiling. There are mats on the floor and different random things all over that must have to do with my training. I can feel Hiei stirring in the back of my mind. I can't imagine having annoyance be my first emotion I experienced every day, like him. That's not a good way to start your day. I'm not much better than him though.

Genkai herself is standing with her arms crossed, a slight smirk on her face.

"I see you're up and ready to go," her sharp voice gives me a headache so early in the morning. I can't tell if it's disapproval or sarcasm thats oozing off of her. Maybe both. She reminds me scarily of Mrs. Zhao.

"What's wrong?" I look down my new clothes.

"Did you even bother to look in the mirror, idiot?" She says harshly. I self-consciously tie my tangled hair back. "No matter, that's not important. What matters is your training. We will be meeting her every morning of the days I will see you. Koenma will discuss your schedule later with you in the evening on the way back. But for now..." She cracks her knuckles menacingly. "We train."

Hopelessness creeps its way into my stomach. _I have no idea what I'm doing_ , I think regrettably.

 _Hn, so you've finally realized?_ Hiei's voice burns through my mind. _Now go back to sleep, idiot. It's too early for this foolishness._

 _I can't! I'm training with Genkai right now_ , I spit back at him. _You're going to have to deal with it._

I try to ignore his grumbling. Unsuccessfully. Throughout the whole rest of the training, he distracted me and continued to comment about my "inability to apply my energy correctly". I practically shook with anger at every sly comment he shot at me. He wasn't even there in person and he was still able to criticize me.

Meanwhile, Genkai kept trying to get me to channel my demon energy in various ways, much like yesterday.

"Just concentrate," Genkai says to me after hours of forcing some "energy" into a concentrated place.

"You're not trying hard enough you dolt! Just keep pushing yourself! Stop being so worried about the outcome. I can see you're holding back!"

I grid my teeth in pure rage. Who is she to say whether or not I'm holding back? I spit at her, "Don't you remember there is some force holding back my power?"

"Yes, but it still reveals itself! Hiei said so himself. You have to keep trying or you won't survive for much long. You have to learn to protect yourself!" She yells back at me.

Hours pass of her telling me things to do with very little progress. Rage filled me, and only made it harder to concentrate.

It isn't until Hiei bursts into the room does anything happen. I didn't see him walk in, but the next moment I hear his voice jeer out behind him, sending very harsh criticism my way. What is this guys deal? My ears ring from rage, so I can't even really register what he's saying. He walks up to me so there's only inches between us, and he seems to notice that I've accomplished nothing because he's slightly smiling.

That's when I break. "What is your deal?" I say calmly at first but I yell the last word, and shove him away from me.

As my palms connect with his chest, a surge of pure, crackling energy glows bright red. The sheer power blows my hair back, and I wince as I land on my butt, suddenly exhausted.

I look up at Hiei slowly, waiting for him to murder me. I don't know what came over me, it was just the pressure of the day and he just barged in and started yelling. I probably should be telling him this, and begging for my life, but my mouth can't form words. The room is deadly silent.

His left foot is set behind the other a little for balance. I realize that I'm the one who caused him to move back that much. But instead of fury on his face, there's somewhat... Satisfaction. I stare into his eyes, confused.

"Hn, didn't I tell you, Genkai, that her energy seems to reveal itself in dire situations, perhaps when she's scared or, in this case, very angry?" Hiei says as if he's a genius. I just sit flabbergasted.

"Wha-? Wait! Does this mean- did you anger my on purpose?" I stutter.

"Hn," he replied simply.

"You should be thankful, Mayumi, it seems to be the only thing that's working," Genkai tone is somewhat more gentle, less annoyed. She looks impressed by the simple action of me shoving him.

Then, Hiei shocks me even more. He puts out his hand in front of me. I stare at it for a second, and then quickly take it before he can pull away. He helps me up, and I look at him thankfully. His face is contorted in what looks like confusion. Even he doesn't understand why he did that. It was such a calm gesture, kind almost, yet it seems to have caused an almost awkward, uneasy air to fill the room, and everyone to grow tense.

Or it's probably just me.

Suddenly, several other people burst into the room, wild-eyed.

Yusuke screams out, "Genkai, what's going on?" Koenma looks around attentively.

However, Kurama, Botan, and Kuwabara seem to be interested in the fact that my hand is in Hiei's. I look deep into Kurama's face, but I can't really read what he's thinking. Botan's cheeks are slightly flushed, her eyes wide, giving me a weird look. Hiei slips his hand out of mine, and I feel my face flush.

"Hey, was the shrimp there just-" Kuwabara starts, but Genkai stops him.

"What do you all need? I'm in the middle of training."

Kurama's eyes are still on mine, but he says to her, "We all felt a large burst of demon energy emanating from this room that we didn't recognize as anyone's here. We thought you all might be in trouble."

"No," I say. "It was actually me."

"You?" Yusuke laughs. "No way, kid, that was a lot of demon energy for someone who doesn't even no how to use it."

"Why do you call me kid? We're the same age?" I ask, ignoring the fact that he just completely underestimated me.

"We are out of high school already. What're you, a second year?" Yusuke smirks. I roll my eyes.

Hiei speaks up. "It was the girl's energy, you swine. Do you see any other demons in the room? I had to make her angry to get her to actually reveal it, but it's there."

"Interesting," I can practically see Kurama's mind turning, analyzing the situation. "Do you think if we made her angry or scared enough it could break this bond over her energy?"

Hiei shrugs, so Koenma chimes in. He says, "I think only time will tell. I mean, it may be worth a try. We can't just continue to train her only when she's angry, or feels threatened."

"Maybe we can just let her learn all the ins-and-outs by herself. Like in actual combat with other demons, ones that will actually be willing to kill her," Yusuke slides into one of the chairs on the far wall, and I decide to do the same. Whatever I did completely wiped me out. I crash into the chair beside him.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Botan sounds concerned, but she still has that weird look on, looking at me intently. "It could be dangerous. Like, what if she actually does get killed? And it would be our fault because we couldn't prepare her?"

"Any demon of going against her would have a difficult time hurting her, let alone killing her," Kuwabara says, almost amazed. "I mean, did you feel all of her energy? That's crazy. She might be as powerful as you guys are. She's never even used that energy before, and it's already that much? I mean, think about it."

Kurama, Hiei, and Yusuke seem to tense, and exchanging looks. I sink lower into my seat. That's all I need is that doofus telling them that I could possibly be stronger than them, and one of them tries to take me on. They would crush me in a second! Especially Hiei, who scares me the most out of them all.

Hiei seems to think my thoughts are funny. He catches my eye, and the end of his lips curve up ever so slightly. I grimace at him, and look away, trying to ignore the pulsating presence of his mind against mine.

"I think its time we take Sun home for the day," Botan breaks the tension.

"Indeed. Let me walk you all out, and I'll tell you of our plan," Koenma agrees. "Thank you, Genkai. We'll see you soon enough."

Genkai nods at him. I stand up and now in front of her. "Yes, thank you for the training."

"Yeah, kid. I guess I'll just have to work with what I've got," Genkai says, but I can tell its in a teasing way. I smile at her, and follow the others out of the room.

"So," Koenma starts as we walk along the hallway. "Botan and I have discussed it, and we thought out the best thing you can do to get the most training done. Every weekend, you'll come up here and stay with Genkai to train. You'll stay in the same room that you're staying in now, and you can bring some clothes to keep here. Then, you can still go to school during the week. Then, every day after school, you will go with one of these gentlemen here," he gestures to all of the men beside me. Hiei glares at me. "And they will do some extra things with you, like show you how to use your energy as weapons, or how to throw a punch, and things like that. You can discuss with them which days you'll meet. Sounds good?"

I nod, though I feel the exhaustion already coming over me from all the running around I'll be doing. Hiei didn't seem to like this plan that much either, based off all of the rude things he continued to call Koenma in his mind. But neither of us say a thing.

"Oh, and Sun," Koenma hands me my backpack from the other week that I left here. I had looked for so long for that bag when I was in denial that in Genkai's secret place in the woods never existed. I head towards the front door with the rest of the gang. "Genkai asked me to tell you to start running and exercising in the morning before school. To keep you in shape."

"How much does she want me to exercise?" I ask groggily.

"Ohh, she said to increase the amount every week; starting with running a mile. So, you'd better get home and get some rest. You've got a busy week in front of you."

***  
And indeed it was.

It went exactly as Koenma and Botak had planned, most unfortunately on my part.

I did run a mile that next day in the morning. And it was probably the worst thing I've ever had to do in my life. By the time I got home from that night after Genkai's, it was already late, and I had tons of homework to catch up on. Then I had to get up super early to be able to run a mile, take a shower, and be at school on time. I would say that first Monday, I was falling asleep in about every class, so it was pointless to even go. A teacher actually ended up sending me home. They tried to call Mrs. Zhao first, but she wasn't home (hm, I wonder why?), so they just told me to go. Apparently, I looked like a wreck.

Hiei watched me exit the school before normal time, smirking. He leaned against the front gate casually, and waited for me to walk up beside him.

"You know, saying 'I'm so tired' over and over in your head again doesn't really help anything. I could've gotten you out of there much earlier if you just said something like 'help'," he said matter-of-factly.

"I'm really not in the mood for you to show off Hiei," I mumbled, barely keeping my eyes open. "I just need to go home and sleep. I've got a job interview for the bookstore by my house this afternoon."

"Whatever you say," he sighed. I stepped forward, but, with a yawn, I stumbled, finding my feet unable to move.

Hiei sighed again, and pulled me up. With one arm around my waist, he practically dragged me across the street. Eventually, we got home, and he lead me to the couch.

I just about passed out right there, and woke up hours later, about 30 minutes before my interview.

"You could've at least woken me up a little sooner!" I yelled at Hiei, who had taken to looking through everything in my house.

"You didn't tell me a specific time," Hiei said simply. "You didn't even ask me to wake you up."

"Ugh," is all I said, and ran to my room to get ready. After a super quick shower, I put on some nicer clothes, then try to dry all of my hair. I just ended up putting it up in a bun using the beautiful hair sticks that my friend Akira got me for my birthday.

"See you in about an hour," I yelled to Hiei as I was on the way out the door. "Please don't destroy the place."

And I did come back home an hour later, both angry and anxious. Of course when I arrived for the interview, I tripped through the door to the place and this kid who goes to my school spilled coffee all down the front of my clothes. I was a little angry, but after seeing how embarrassed he was and how bad he felt, I just said it was okay and I walked away. The interview itself went alright, except for the fact that I was majorly nervous so I kept stuttering. The manager of the bookstore asked me questions about school and my life at home. She also asked why I had a gigantic stain on the front of my clothes. I just really hope that I got it, but I don't know how she felt about the fact that I couldn't work weekends, except Sunday nights.

The rest of that afternoon was rather... Well it was just really nice. Hiei took me to meet Kurama in some abandoned park outside of town where no one could bother us, then Hiei left us alone. He taught me things about meditating and keeping a cool head in battle. He told me about how he thought the best way for me to learn how to control demon energy is to apply it with my mind first, rather than action. He also spent a good amount of time answering any questions I had, which I was really glad for. Kurama really helped me and I found myself becoming more comfortable around him. I could tell he felt the same way; he just looked at me so intently, as if he was intrigued at what I would do or say next. Which was surprising because I'm not that much of an exciting person. Or at least, not before a few weeks ago.

It was nice to make a new friend, someone I could trust. Or someone who didn't criticize everything that I did.

The next few days passed by like that, except I met with different people at the end of the day. I actually stayed in school the rest of the week, too, because I went to bed a lot earlier. I found myself getting into the rhythm of a new schedule. I took naps throughout the day whenever I could, continued to exercise, and started to eat better.

Unlike with Kurama, the time I spend with Hiei and Yusuke after school was way more interactive. Yusuke taught me things that I was more compatible with: street fighting. I'd gotten into some fights before, but Yusuke was a fanatic, almost like a character from a video game. He moved with such power and speed that it was almost impossible to see him, yet his style was so familiar to me. Still unbeatable, but familiar.

Hiei, on the other hand, had a whole new style that I couldn't keep up with. He fought with a katana, and moved with such speed that I literally _could not_ see him. He started to teach me to try and sense another's spirit or demon energy. He also started to teach me how to use a weapon during battle. Anyone could assume how well that went.

By Friday, I actually learned a lot, maybe even improved a little. The guys could only teach me things that didn't involve my demon energy (except Hiei kept insisting that he could just scare me into using it), but I still got to know different techniques. My morning runs helped to wake me up, but I was starting to get more frequent joint pain and cramps. Though I run extremely fast, I still wasn't in the shape to run a mile every day. I guess that was the whole point of it. Also, I knew I had a long weekend of training ahead of me. So I packed my bag tiredly, wanting a break from this madness.

"Are you ready yet, dolt?" Hiei made me jump as he appeared in my doorway.

"Yes, I think so," I mumbled, mostly to myself. "I think I can leave all these clothes and things there without missing much."

"Right. Now come on, the old hag will be waiting," Hiei ushered me on through the house. I almost laughed because that's what I called Mrs. Zhao.

"Will the rest of the gang be going?" I asked as I locked up my house.

"No, it's just us this weekend," Hiei didn't sound like he wanted to talk, so I didn't. We did little talking through the whole way there, which took maybe an hour and a half, because Hiei made me run and climb through the trees to keep up with him. It was actually a bit scary because I had no idea how to get there by myself, for there was no definite path. And I'm pretty sure if I got left behind, Hiei would take his time with trying to find me again. Although I could have probably read his mind to see where he was going. It was rare that I saw pictures through the bond between us though...

Once we finally got there, I began training with Genkai again. And we trained the whole weekend.

Yukina showed me where I would be staying for all of the times I would be here. It was a decent rectangular room with a high ceiling and no windows. There was a dresser and a single bookshelf against the nearer walls, and some comfy cushions on either side of a chabudai. In the back, there was a sliding door that lead to my own personal bathroom. The center of the room was raised by two steps, and a queen mattress sat in the middle of the raised loft. I was very impressed by Genkai's generosity, and I made us all dinner that night for thanks. I made enough for the 6 of us that were here (Botan, Koenma, Yukina, Genkai, Hiei, and I), but Hiei never showed up. After pestering him through the bond, he finally joined us, but he just sat. He said and ate nothing.

The rest of the weekend was exhausting. It was one of the worst in my life, but it's finally over. It's Sunday afternoon now, and I just want to relax. Botan apparently thinks it's a great idea.

"Hiei, you should show Sun down to the beach," Botan says with a mysterious twinkle in her eye. "I think she'll love it; it's just beautiful on these kinds of days."

"I will not be taking that fool down to the stupid-"

"Oh, I think that's a good idea too," Koenma looks at Hiei knowingly. Hiei tenses for a moment, and then says, "Come on, Mayumi."

I follow happily out the door. Whatever Koenma has that is able to threaten Hiei, it must be really powerful. But it does its job, so I can't complain. Hiei growls at my thoughts as we walk down the stone steps.

"Sorry," I say truthfully. "What is Koenma using against you to get you to do stuff?"

He just glares at me through the corner of his eyes, thinking up images of different ways he can kill me. He's really good at keeping his mind focused on one thing. _How is he so good at that?_

"I was just asking a question," I shrug it off, and we keep walking. I'm beginning to get used to his abnormal... No, _bipolar_ behavior. One moment, he will be trying to show me up, then the next he'll look like he wants to help, then the next he's ready to kill me. I just don't understand this guy.

"I can read people's minds, you know," Hiei says suddenly.

"Huh?" is all I say back stupidly.

"You asked how I'm good at keeping my mind's eye clear, staying focused. I've seen into the deepest corners of some people's minds, learned how to use their fears against them, how to manipulate them in a way to destroy them," he pauses for a moment as I stare into his terrifying eyes. "So, you'd think if I know how to do that to others, I'd know a little bit about how to defend my own mind."

We walk a little more in silence. He was always so successful when he deliberately wanted to talk to me through the bond, but when I tried to look into his, I was shut out or I couldn't make understand anything. That would explain that. I can't help but feel that he was just trying to change the subject, however.

"How do you do it?" I ask curiously.

"It's just one of my techniques. I have what's called the Jagan Eye implanted into my forehead, and it gives me that ability," he touches the band over his forehead gently, but doesn't take it off. I'm not sure that I want him to.

"Why are you so annoyed all the time?" I burst out before I can stop myself. He looks over at me, annoyed (surprisingly). He does not look like he's willing to answer that question.

"I'm sorry, I- I don't know what came over me," I look down at the ground as we continue along the staircase.

"Why are you always apologizing?" Hiei spits me back, though it doesn't sound like he wants an answer. "It's just anno-... It's idiotic. Showing regret for your actions can be seen as a weakness. You did nothing wrong by asking a question, though personal questions like that, I will not tolerate. You must learn to hold your tongue before it gets you killed."

I don't say any more. Was he just giving me...advice? His tone was ice-cold as usual, but there was some wisdom underneath. From what I've heard from everyone else here, he's supposed to be this heartless, powerful, terrifying demon, but... There's moments like these that I'm beginning to think its all just a show. However, I know nothing about him, so I shouldn't assume. Evil people can have moments of kindness. Not that he's evil. And not that what he said was kind.

That would also explain why he never apologizes, even if he says something really offensive to me or anyone else. His words echo through my head. "... _can be seen as a weakness_..."

We walk through the quiet forest for a little more, until we reached the bottom of the steps and followed a short path. Through the thick trees, I could smell the salty air and hear seagulls. A small smile creeps it's way onto my mouth. I haven't been to the beach in a long time.

It really is beautiful, as Botan said. The white sand is super soft beneath my bare feet, not too hot in the afternoon sun. Hiei walks down to the shoreline with me, so I throw my tennis shoes at him, and I begin to roll up my pant legs.

As the cool foam rolls over my toes, I pull my Walkman out of my jacket pocket and put my headphones that were around my neck over my ears. I press the play button, and watch the waves as my favorite song plays lightly in the background. There are dark clouds looming over the sky menacingly, but the sun seems to be driving them away. I sigh as I feel the stress of the past few weeks escape me. I haven't felt this calm in a while. _I should really thank Botan for suggesting this earlier. This is just what I needed_ , I note to myself.

I walk for a bit along the water, letting the waves cool my feet.

It is so peaceful, I wonder what Hiei thinks of-

A sudden force pushes me forward slightly, but scared me so much that I dropped my Walkman- right into the water, ripping the headphones off of my head down with it. I quickly gather it up, but the damage is already done.

"Hey!" I yell, whirling around to the culprit. "Hiei, what do you think you're doing?!"

He looks pretty angry, and he's glaring at the device in my hands. "How dare you be angry with me," he speaks so calmly, smoothly, that it makes me more upset. "I was trying to talk to you, but you didn't respond because of that thing over your ears! It was emitting such a loud noise that I couldn't even use the bond, your head was so clouded with it."

"How dare I?! It's broken because of you now! You didn't have to shove me like some immature kid. You could've tapped my shoulder or something!" I step into his face, anger filling me.

"I only slightly nudged you, you just got scared and dropped the cursed thing," Hiei's fierce eyes almost make me quiver. He sounded mocking, as if him startling me was somewhat comedic to him.

"You know what? I'm sick of you, and these crazy mood swings!" I shove him, unable to control myself, though he barely moves. The red crackling energy revealed itself again with the push, but this time, it didn't leave. It stays, illuminating my palms, powered by pure rage. This guy makes no sense! He pushes me, breaks my stuff, and doesn't even apologize? How does he have the nerve?

He glances at my hands, unimpressed, and says warningly, "You have no idea what you are getting yourself into, girl. You cannot challenge me."

"If I recall, you were the one who shoved me first _and_ you broke my Walkman. So I can get myself into anything that I want. Don't act like you're my parent!" I growl at him, taking a stance. "You can't tell me what to do."

"You wouldn't know much about parents, though. Would you?" He whispers with no emotion whatsoever. His words hit me like a bus, causing my vision to blur and my throat to choke up. I can't find words; I only lung forward, thrashing out with everything I have. I try to remember things that Yusuke told me about hand to hand combat, but I just let my instincts take over, and it begins to almost feel like I'm looking at the fight, rather than being in it. I try to copy the way Yusuke moved, the way his hips were positioned as he threw each punch or kick.

It doesn't seem to be working. Hiei dodges me easily, but makes no move to counterattack. Only after my fist _almost_ connected with his shoulder did he do something.

"Enough of this," he says simply, and plants hand over hand on my chest. He pushes forward, almost effortlessly, but I go flying backwards into the water. I sit up, spitting out water and sand, as a wave crashes into my back, rolling me over onto my butt again. I get up on all fours, and look up to see him no where in sight. The only trace of him are my tennis shoes, and some busted headphones.

I stand up and get out of the water. The wind starts to pick up, chilling me to the bone. The dark clouds from before seem to be moving in. "Hiei?" I call out, anger still filling my voice.

"Stop being a fool," I hear him say from across the ways. I look over to see him atop a rocky ledge that juts out over the sea. I sprint over to it, and began climbing relentlessly.

"Mayumi, stop," he warns, crouching. "This is getting ridiculous."

"No, you're ridiculous," I finally get to the top, panting. My eyes burn as I look deep into his emotionless ones. "You had no right to do anything that you just did. Especially talking about my parents."

I slowly walked towards him. With every step, the rage turned into sadness and exhaustion.

He says nothing. I can tell from the things he's thinking of, that he's trying to hide something from me.

I stand even with him now, my left side at the edge of the cliff hanging over the blue waves. "What did you have to say to me that was so important?"

I suddenly hear a clap of thunder in the sky, and it begins to pour so harshly that I could barely see anything. I reach out, trying to find him, but my feet pull out from under me and down I go, plunging deep into the rocky ocean beneath the cliff.

I can't tell if I'm in the ocean, from the freezing waterfall of rain coming from the sky and the wind wiping me around- until my body slaps against a hard mass of waves. My whole body stings from the impact, but I'm glad I'm still actually alive. The sea is a raging force now, from the storm above, rocking me back and forth, making it impossible to come up for air. I thrash around vigorously, trying to catch hold of something solid, with no luck.

I've been screaming about the entire time, but soon enough there's no more breath left in my body to spare.

Chocking on a mouthful of water, I try to get my bearings. The sea has another idea; it keeps me just barely floating on the surface, enough to let the waves push me around, but not enough to let me breath.

Just as I feel my consciousness start slipping away, I am slammed into one of the jagged rocks sticking out of the sea, and my vision finally goes black.

***  
Wherever I am, it's warm. I slowly open my eyes. I look around to realize that I can't really see myself. It's as if I'm just a presence in the air. The area around me is a clouded blackish-blue-and-purple with sparkling patches of white dots all around, almost like I'm walking through a cloud of the night sky. It reminds me a lot of my dreams have been recently, except this feels a lot more real.

"Hello?" I call out nervously. My voice echos across the empty space. "Is anyone there?"

"Well, hello Mrs. Hikari," a voice speaks softly. I try to follow it, but it seems to be coming from everywhere around me. I glance around nervously. _What the hell is this?_

The voice laughs. "It's simply your mind, my dear. But you're about to see something that's crucial in regards to your future. Just watch."

I do. I don't really know if I can trust this person or force or whatever, but there isn't really anything I can do about it. It's just a dream anyways, right?

Just then, there's a disturbance in the air. The space around me turns tense, almost electrified, as I see the clouds around me literally get ripped in half. A blade slices through the black space, and makes a cut about 10 feet high.

It's almost like a person ripped a hole in a piece paper, except it is most literally the air.

The space doesn't seem to like being cut open too much. The wind picks up intensely, and there is a crackling in the air like thunder.

I move back as the man holding the blade leaps through the hole. Well, man wouldn't be the correct term. The figure is almost 9 feet tall with a strong build and skin tinted grayish, so he almost looks like a statue. He's shirtless and shoeless, but luckily he has on belted pants. Dark blue angel wings spread out beautifully from his back. He has bright gold eyes, and dark blue horns can be seen through his hair. It seems to be the only human-like feature about him, coming down to his shoulders in a wild brunette mess, like he went a little overboard with the gel.

 _I'm not sure what it is, but something about this guy screams_ demon.

The voice laughs again, but the demon doesn't seem to hear it. "You are quite right, Sun. He does not give off the appearance that you've been used to seeing from humans in Ninjenkai, or you're friends in their human forms. Now watch. And do not worry, for he does not know you are here; it is merely a memory from many centuries, even millennia ago."

The man smiles to reveal K-9 teeth as sharp as razors. I shiver. He uses the sword in his hand to reseal the rip in the air.

The blade is unlike any I've ever seen before. It's a long, slim kitana, so sharp it looks like I can split a hair. It seems to be bending the space around it, as if it didn't like being in this dimension. It's hard to focus on because it is almost... Alive. And moving through space and time, and then back again to this moment. It flickers every few seconds, though it looked completely solid. It is as black as night, only darker, more powerful. It's almost a matte shade, so it doesn't reflect anything, but it seems to be glowing with energy.

It is the scariest thing I've ever seen. An inanimate object with such power should never exist in this world. _Any_ world.

The demon laughs. "Now," he says to himself. "To work."

He begins to cut a pattern in the space around him with grace and intense focus, as if every slice had to be in an exact spot to achieve his goal.

After a few minutes of this, the demon finishes, and steps back to admire his work. It just looks like a big circle to me with some sort of crest at the center. Then, suddenly, the ground around us starts shaking, worse than any earthquake ever recorded. The kitana glows red for a moment, then the symbol in the air starts to glow and singes around the edges with a crack of thunder, as if it were struck by lightening.

There's a flash of a blinding light, and then I feel like someone just turned off the gravity. I feel the atmosphere changing, as if the very boundaries of space were being ripped apart. The air seems to bend and crack and melt all around, and then it feels like I'm falling. Not specifically me, but the whole universe is dropping suddenly.

Fear grips my heart as I watch the demon makes three final cuts in the symbol, right next to each other through the middle, and this time, he actually goes all the way through, and opens up other worlds. From them, I can hear screaming, see the smoke of a million fires, the crumbling of civilization. Just the sound of mass destruction, as if the whole world went through everything I did in this place.

The demon hesitates for a moment, as if he wasn't expecting such mass chaos. The twisting and pulling wind increases even more as the three big cuts start to rip and slowly spread out into one huge hole. The space is bending around it, as if it will be sucked away into the worlds beyond.

"What have you done?!" a new voice calls out, and the demon looks around. And then suddenly, the whole scene is gone before my eyes.

The first voice that spoke to me, says, "As you go on in your life, Sun, you cannot forget the past. You especially must not ignore your family's history," the voice starts to fade as a blackness surrounds me, and I feel like me again. "It is important you understand everything so you can fulfill your destiny. For, you are our only hope against totally destruction."  
And it fades completely as I become conscious again.

"Mayumi, you fool," I can barely hear Hiei's voice over the pounding rain. I feel him try to grab my wrist, and a slight tingle travels up my arm as he tries to hold the one with the bond. I feel so weak I can barely lift my head. As soon as I lift it up, my stomach clenches, and I start vomiting up the gallons of sea water I swallowed. I'm draped over the rock that I must have crashed into with the waves rushing over my back. Hiei is crouching at the top of it, trying to get a hold of me. "You're such an idiot. Why do you have to be so careless all the time? I'm getting sick of having to come to your aid."

I reach for his hand, and it takes all the strength in me to pull myself up. My head is spinning at this point from the craziness, but I figure I'd rather live then try to sort out my mind at the bottom of the ocean.

"Well, come on," Hiei growls, and jumps over to another nearby rock. I rockily stand up, knees shaking. I take a deep breath, which pulls at my chest and stings. I feel the water start to come up again, but I force it down, and jump for my life. I land right next to Hiei, accidentally knocking him over. He starts to fall, but easily catches himself. However, I had already tried to be the hero and save him, so I was holding the front of his shirt in my hands.

"Sorry," I croak out.

He pulls away glaring, and jumps up to a rocky ledge. Well, not jumps. More like, teleports there. I look up at him like he's crazy. He rolls his eyes most obviously, and offers me a hand. I grab his forearm, and shuffle up the pointy rocks.

We walk over as the rain starts to let up, and find a place to get down off of the tall formation. The sand had turned to a muddy mess, and the air smelled of moldy seaweed.

"You know what, Hiei," he doesn't even stop he just kept walking forward. I feel anger and confusion pulse through the bond. "I don't think I like the beach that much anymore."


End file.
